


All We Left Behind

by Rijus_Hope



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff and Angst, Fuuinjutsu Master Uzumaki Naruto, M/M, Naruto says fuck authority figures, Smart Uzumaki Naruto, Time Travel Fix-It, Uzumaki Naruto Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-16 09:00:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 57,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29204739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rijus_Hope/pseuds/Rijus_Hope
Summary: Uzumaki Naruto is tired. He's been fighting nonstop for years, then he was suddenly flung into a past he barely even recognizes anymore. If he's stuck in the past anyway, he figures he might as well try to fix everything before it happens, but no matter what anyone does or says, Naruto's gonna do it his way.Another time-travel AU featuring a Naruto that takes no one's shit, a Nara and a Yamanaka wondering what the fuck they've been dragged into, and all the love in the world for one Shiranui Genma.
Relationships: Shiranui Genma/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 107
Kudos: 584
Collections: Time Travel no Jutsu





	1. Naruto the part-time chaos god

**Author's Note:**

> Another time-travel AU? Yes, another time-travel AU. This was basically the result of me reading all the OTHER time-travel AUs, realizing most of them paired Naruto with Kakashi, and wondering what would happen if he fell for Genma instead. It was also the result of my general frustration with Konoha and the way that Naruto grew up, hence why Naruto takes no shit and has issues with authority. Anyway, enjoy! I'd love to know what you think!

He slipped through the trees gracefully, soundlessly, not a single leaf disturbed by his movement. His clothes blended in with the night, the only light coming from the stars and a small sliver of the moon. Even without his enhanced senses he wouldn’t get lost in the darkness; he could never forget this forest. Snippets of memories flashed through his mind-- _looking at the trees in awe, seeing the outside of the village for the first time--taijutsu practice with his teammates, mood flipping between frustration and triumph--racing through the trees, denial coursing through his body even as he saw the smoke rising from his home_ \--and he abruptly shoved them away, pushing on.

He didn’t hesitate when he entered the village boundaries, suppressing his chakra and flashing between buildings on the edge of town. Someone would probably notice him regardless of the care he had taken; he just had too much chakra to reliably mask it all when he wasn’t giving it his full attention. But it didn’t matter. He would reach his destination before they could even start properly tracking him.

Extending his senses, he counted the chakra signatures in the room, and in spite of his raging emotions he couldn’t help but smirk a little.

Time to finally pay the Hokage a visit.

Hiruzen had already had a long day. Most were, these days, but today had been especially trying. Naruto got in trouble not once, but two separate times, Danzo had been on his back relentlessly about one thing or another, and the alleged Uzumaki shinobi had been spotted in the Land of Fire.

He groaned and rubbed his temples, hoping to stave off a headache even though he knew it was futile. Why would he come here? What business did he have in the Land of Fire? As far as Hiruzen knew, he was just after Uzushio relics and some nukenin. Thankfully, the only relic in Konoha was their Jinchuuriki.

On second thought, maybe that’s not something to be happy about.

With a flicker of chakra, two shinobi appeared in the room. Hiruzen was ready to tell them to leave, before he caught sight of their tense faces. “Shiranui, Namiashi, report.”

Raidou bowed his head to Hiruzen while Genma continued watching the room, his sharp eyes searching--for what, the Hokage did not know. “We were patrolling the border, but we think someone may be heading here,” Raidou said quickly.

Hiruzen stilled. “You think or you know, Namiashi?”

“It is difficult to say, Hokage-sama,” Genma said, his casual tone a sharp contrast to his alert posture. “If there is someone here, they are better at suppressing their chakra than anyone I have ever seen.” He shifted his customary senbon in his mouth. “We alerted the other jounin in our shift and came here--figured it was better to be safe than sorry, and if they try to attack anywhere else in the village we have sufficient protection.”

Hiruzen nodded. “Did you tell the patrol guards about the potential intruder?”

“Yugao was the one that noticed it,” Raidou explained, “but she said it would be better for us to come here, and for her to remain and see if she could sense anything else. If there are more of them, we’ll want her at the wall to catch it. But no one else knows what is happening, only that they should be on guard.”

“Good. We need to keep this quiet, in case it is a false alarm--”

In a moment of stunningly perfect timing, his other ANBU collapsed, falling out of their concealed spaces around his office. The only sound was them hitting the ground. Immediately Genma and Raidou were on guard, Genma grabbing more senbon and Raidou unsheathing his sword. How could anyone attack that fast? Genma wondered. The only person he had ever known who could move that quickly was the Fourth Hokage. The Yellow Flash of the Leaf was, of course, renowned for his Flying Raijin technique, but he was the only one who could perform that technique. Even Genma and Raidou couldn’t do it alone, it took both of them and Iwashi to get it to work.

So how, then, was this happening? How could anyone be moving at the speed of the Yellow Flash?

“Hokage-sama,” Raidou said slowly, “we should get you to a more secure location until we find the enemy.”

Hiruzen rose from his chair, but before anyone could take a single step, there was a flare of chakra and a man appeared in the middle of the room, watching them with what almost looked like… curiosity? His long hair, dark red, was braided loosely down his back, leaving his purple eyes unobstructed. He was dressed entirely in black, complete with a mask. He was short, but practically radiated quiet confidence.

Well, Genma was never one for hesitating, and he shot the senbon from his mouth immediately, aiming for his shoulder.

It never reached its target.

For someone as fast as this stranger apparently was, Genma thought he would have moved out of the way. Instead, he leveled an amused look on Genma as the senbon hit a barrier several inches from the man’s body. The senbon snapped, clattering to the floor.

All three Konoha nin stared for a moment, stunned. How could anyone create a barrier like that? And what were they supposed to do now? If he couldn’t be touched, evasion may be the only way out--

“Don’t bother trying to leave,” the man said quietly. His voice was rough, like he wasn’t used to speaking. “I have another barrier seal set up in this room. No one is going in or out, and no one can hear or see what’s happening.” His eyes widened slightly, and he actually _raised his hands._

“Sorry, sorry, that sounded so much more threatening than I meant it to,” he said quickly, looking almost nervous, which was laughable considering he had every advantage. “Damn, I’m really not good at this. I just really didn’t want you to leave before hearing me out, and I knew you’d try to attack so I had to protect myself somehow, you know?”

Genma glanced at Raidou who, thankfully, seemed just as thrown off as he was. Even the Hokage looked unnerved by the man’s informal mannerisms. “If you are not here to attack,” the Hokage said, “then why are you here?”

The man spun to the side of the room in an instant, turning so he could see all three of them at once. They all tensed, but the redhead just rubbed a hand over his face with a rueful sigh. “You know, you’d think that I’d know where to start considering how long I’ve been thinking about this.”

“You’re the Uzumaki in the Bingo Book, aren’t you?” Raidou said.

The redhead did Kakashi’s weird eye-smile thing, then considered for a moment before pulling the mask down altogether, revealing pale skin and a series of scars that ran from his left cheekbone to the opposite side of his neck. He then gave them a real smile, small but sincere. “That’s me! I’ve been moving for a long time, and it’s finally been long enough. I’m tired of being alone, and considering Konoha’s alliance with Uzushiogakure, I figured this was as good a place as any to try. I’ve got some pretty… personal ties to the village, too.”

He was trying to appear relaxed, but Genma recognized that posture--it was the same as his. Looking relaxed, but always ready for a fight.

“Why not seek an audience with me through more conventional channels?” the Hokage asked, calm mask back in place. He slowly sat back down and linked his hands together on his desk. “Why resort to sneaking in?”

Uzumaki sighed. “Like you said,” he gestured to Raidou, exasperated. “I’m in the Bingo Book. I’m a wanted man; I don’t think that conventional channels would really work out for me. What did you want me to do, just stroll in through the front gate and give your chuunin guards a heart attack?”

If he wasn’t so tense Genma would have laughed. The man had a point.

“Even so, I fail to see what it is you want with me,” Hiruzen said slowly. “As you said, you are a wanted man. Why would I welcome you into my village?”

Now the man was visibly uncomfortable, shifting his weight and rubbing the back of his neck. “Well, see, that’s where it gets a bit complicated.” At Hiruzen’s unimpressed stare, he held up his hands in surrender. “It is, I promise! God, it would be so much easier if Inoichi-sama was here.” Before any of them could react to him apparently knowing Inoichi, his expression lit up. “Oh! I don’t know why I didn’t just grab him in the first place. And Shikaku-sama; he needs to be here.” He muttered under his breath for a moment, seeming to debate something with himself. “And Kakashi, I suppose. Might as well.” He smiled at them. “I’d say don’t go anywhere, but you can’t. I’ll be right back!” And with that, he was gone.

Raidou stared at the spot where the Uzumaki had disappeared from. “What...just happened?”

Genma could only shrug. “I think we can say he’s probably telling the truth about being an Uzumaki though, Hokage-sama,” he said. “That hair, and his fuuinjutsu--I don’t know of anyone else he could be.”

Hiruzen frowned, looking troubled. “What concerns me is how much he seems to know about the village already, and how he can clearly circumvent all of our security measures with ease. I hope he truly does have peaceful intentions, or getting rid of him will be quite the problem.”

Before anyone could respond, the Uzumaki returned, this time holding Inoichi, Shikaku, and Kakashi by their arms and smiling again. He let them go immediately, and all three stumbled away from him, coming to stand near Raidou and Genma. “Hokage-sama, if I may,” Shikaku drawled without taking his eyes off the Uzumaki, “what’s going on?”

Hiruzen sighed, giving the Uzumaki a hard look instead of responding.

“Okay, okay, so I brought Inoichi-sama because I needed someone who could verify what I’m about to tell you. Shikaku-sama is here because he’s your jounin commander and, frankly, he’d figure everything out within a few weeks anyway. And Kakashi-se--san.” He tripped over Kakashi’s name, but recovered immediately. “And Kakashi-san because he knows a hell of a lot about ANBU and ROOT, which will be useful, and I also have a vested interest in the genin team you’ll be giving him in a few weeks.”

He smiled at Genma and Raidou. “And since you were in the office when I got here, you’re just along for the ride, sorry!”

Genma heard Shikaku cough to cover a laugh, but the mention of genin had both Hiruzen and Kakashi on full alert. “And how would you know anything about that?” Hiruzen asked carefully.

Uzumaki rubbed the back of his neck again. “Well, this is where it gets fun, and where I’m gonna need Inoichi-sama to back me up. I promise I will let you into my head, no hesitation, no reservations. Just… hear me out, okay?” He took a deep breath, and for a moment his eyes darkened before he steeled himself and said, “My name is Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto, and I’m here to make sure your world doesn’t turn out like mine.”

Silence followed the redhead’s statement. No one really knew where to go from there. Finally, Hiruzen broke the silence by saying dismissively, “Impossible. Young man, I’d like to give you the benefit of the doubt, but if you aren’t going to give us the truth--”

“I am,” Uzumaki said, eyes empty, hollow. “Trust me, I wish I was kidding. You’ll wish I was, too.” He turned to the other shinobi. “Inoichi-sama, you can project my mindscape so that everyone here can see what I show you, right?”

Inoichi nodded slowly, stepping forward despite Raidou and Kakashi’s sounds of protest. “I can. I need to be touching you, though. Will you let me?”  
The redhead gave a relieved smile. “Thank you, of course I’ll let you.” He pulled up one of his sleeves, revealing an arm covered in seals, and pressed one with a whisper of chakra. “The barrier around my body is gone now,” he said quietly. He gave the others a warning glance. “However, I would strongly advise against attacking me. That seal is far from my only defense.” He bowed his head slightly and clasped his hands behind his back, trying to appear less threatening. “Whenever you’re ready, Inoichi-sama.”

Inoichi nodded, and after he pressed his hand lightly to the Uzumaki’s head, a mindscape slowly materialized around them. It looked to be a sort of sewer, fairly dark and leaving them ankle-deep in water.

“Okay, so how exactly does this work?” Uzumaki asked Inoichi. “I mean, do I just… think about what I want to show you? And you’ll all be able to see it?”

Inoichi nodded. “More or less, yes.”

Uzumaki gave a sharp nod. “All right, good, okay… let’s start with something easy, yeah? First I need to prove who I am, before we can do anything else.” His brows furrowed as he thought, then nodded decisively. “We’ll start here.”

Suddenly they were outside, the sun shining and people bustling from place to place. There was a swing just behind Uzumaki, and as the shinobi looked around they recognized the Academy. Uzumaki shifted slightly to reveal a blond boy sitting on the swing, staring longingly at the Academy doors. The blue eyes and whiskered face were unmistakable.

As they watched, several civilian boys walked up to Naruto, inviting him to play. When he eagerly accepted, the boys laughed and walked away, saying they would never play with someone like him. No one wanted a demon for a friend. Kakashi flinched slightly, guilt coloring his features, and Hiruzen paled slightly. Uzumaki just watched impassively, almost _too_ detached.

The scene shifted, and they were at the park. Naruto was playing with Choji and Shikamaru, with Kiba and Akamaru coming over every now and then. Uzumaki saw Shikaku blink as he saw his son. Then blink again when he saw...himself. He called out to Shikamaru, who groaned but complied, and Shikaku beckoned to Choji as well. Each child took one of his hands, and they walked away. Soon after, Inuzuka Hana came to collect Kiba. Naruto stared after them longingly, fists clenched, stubbornly refusing to cry. Shikaku’s mouth pressed into a flat line as he watched himself walk away, eyes shadowed.

Then they were back in the sewer again. “I can also tell you things that no one should know about me,” Uzumaki said. “I could tell you about how my father, Namikaze Minato, and my mother, Uzumaki Kushina, died on the night of my birth to protect me from the Kyuubi. The Kyuubi that they sealed inside me, actually. I could name each and every one of you, tell you about your families, about my friends. Including your kids,” he said, nodding at Inoichi and Shikaku and ignoring their slightly stunned expressions.

“How do you know about Minato and Kushina?” Hiruzen looked furious. “It’s forbidden to speak of it!”

The man growled in frustration, a hand fisting in his hair. “Seriously? I know because it’s my life, damn it! I don’t know what you want me to say, Sarutobi!” He paused, hesitating before giving a careless shrug. “And actually, I found out who my parents were _from_ my parents, which is a whole seal-chakra mess that would take way too long to explain right now. Not that I’d want to tell you anyway,” he muttered under his breath, momentarily sidetracked.

The air was tense for a few moments, the man’s frustration palpable, but suddenly his eyes lit up. “Oh, I know! This will _definitely_ work. Come on.” He waved a hand to beckon everyone after him, then turned around and began walking down the sewer corridor. Everyone followed with varying degrees of trepidation.

After a few minutes of walking, they came to an open gate. A _huge_ open gate. Uzumaki leaned against one of the bars and called, “Hey, Kurama! You got a second? I need your help here.”

At first, they heard nothing. After a few moments, they heard what could only be called a long suffering sigh. “Why do you need me here, brat?” The deep, vaguely annoyed voice echoed through the sewer. “They aren’t going to like this.”

Uzumaki smiled wolfishly. “I don’t care.”

The sigh sounded again, louder this time. Footsteps grew gradually louder, until eventually, a gigantic figure stepped into the light, nine tails shifting behind it. The shinobi all looked on in horror as the Kyuubi walked straight through the gate, which they now realized was the remains of the seal, and they all stumbled in their haste to get away.

Except for Uzumaki. He stared at the rest of the group briefly, pressed his fingertips together and, inexplicably, looked up at the _Kyuubi_ and said, “Right. Sorry. I forget sometimes just how bad they all used to be. I was just frustrated when they wouldn’t listen to me.”

The Kyuubi sat down, calculating gaze sweeping over the assembled shinobi, who were now frozen in fear. “I did literally just tell you this would happen,” it grumbled. “But don’t worry about it, brat. If they annoy me I’m sure Shukaku will give me a reason to take out my frustration on him.”

And Uzumaki just laughed.

Naruto looked up at Kurama, snickering. “Just Shukaku? Are you kidding? You and Son Goku have been bickering for a week. Poor Saiken has to keep intervening.” Kurama just huffed and settled onto the floor, allowing Naruto to wander over and lean against one of his forelegs.

Finally, he turned his attention back to his group of visitors. None of them had moved, staring at Naruto in varying degrees of shock. “Believe I’m Naruto now?” he called.

Hiruzen was the first to recover his voice. “Yes, yes, fine, now get away from that thing, Naruto! You’ve proven your point, send it back!”

Kurama and Naruto both stiffened, and Naruto placed a comforting hand on his leg, burying his fingers in the warm fur. “I really am sorry, Kurama, I wasn’t thinking,” he said softly, before glaring at the assembled shinobi. “Don’t you start, Sarutobi,” he said, sounding truly angry for the first time. His voice was like ice. “Considering he’s sealed inside me, and has been for the past 25 years, I’d say I know him a lot better than you do.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “And he is not an _it_. His name is Kurama, and he’s my best friend.”

Shikaku found his voice next, eyes moving between Kurama and Naruto. “Forgive me, Naruto, if I find it difficult to believe that it--he--means us no harm.”

Naruto shrugged. “You _could_ just ask him, you know. He can speak for himself.” Naruto raised an eyebrow, but he was only met with silence. He rolled his eyes, exasperated. “You’re all impossible. Fine. Well, I broke the seal nine years ago,” he said, ignoring the gasps, “and I’ve been in this time for two of those years, so he’s had plenty of chances to try to take over my body or wreak havoc or whatever, and he never has. He helps me, I help him. He talks to me, I talk to him. You know, like friends do? Actually, my Kakashi, Genma, and Raidou all met Kurama. Kakashi in particular knew him pretty well.”

Genma and Raidou just blinked, surprised at being addressed, but Kakashi stepped back, looking like Naruto had punched him. “How--” he whispered. “How could I _ever_ \--” He broke off again, breathing unsteady.

Naruto gave him a sad smile. “I know it’s hard to believe. He killed Mom and Dad, and a lot of other people died that night too. Kurama’s story is one for another day, though. But I can explain how I got here now that you all finally accept that I am who I say I am.” He looked up at Kurama. “Want to stay for storytime?” he asked with a wry smile, wrapping his arms around the fox’s leg.

“And get depressed as hell?” Kurama scoffed. “No, thanks. I’m going to go make sure the hellions haven’t wrecked anything.”

“Hopefully Kokuo has things at least slightly in hand,” he murmured, standing upright to let Kurama get up.

Kurama rolled his eyes. “Children, all of them,” he grumbled, rising to his feet. One of his tails brushed Naruto’s side affectionately. “Well, brat, come see us after this when you need to be cheered up. Matatabi and I will wait for you.” He turned his attention to the group of shinobi. “Telling you all this won’t be easy for him,” Kurama warned, baring his teeth. “Keep that in mind.” And with that, he turned and disappeared into the darkness.

Naruto took a deep breath, walking back towards the group. “Now to tell you why I’m here. Trust me when I say I didn’t mean to come back in time. I didn’t want to interrupt the lives that I’ve already seen lived. I’m just making the best of a bad situation.” His chest tightened. “I didn’t want to see any of you again, honestly.”

Silence followed his statement, until Genma was the one to quietly ask, “What happened?”

Naruto looked at Genma, mouth set in a grim line. “War.”


	2. Welcome to the trauma

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aight, I decided to post the second chapter today. Honestly I don't really have a schedule I'm gonna follow--so bear with me, the updates should be frequent, they'll probably just be inconsistent. Also, thank you to everyone who has read this so far! I'm so glad that you've enjoyed it <3
> 
> That being said, I hope y'all like pain

First he took them to his fight with Kakuzu, showing them how he tricked the man and used his Rasenshuriken to defeat him. “There’s a group of nukenin called Akatsuki,” he began, watching Hiruzen straighten out of the corner of his eye. “They’re hunting Jinchuuriki, because they want to gain the power of all nine Bijuu to unleash the Infinite Tsukuyomi on the world. They said it would end all wars, that it would create lasting peace.” He scoffed. “Like those lies and dreams could ever be a true peace.

“Eventually they had the power of seven of the Bijuu. Killer B and I were the only two still free. That’s when the Akatsuki declared war on all the shinobi villages. The only option was for the villages to band together to fight. There was no Cloud or Leaf or Sand, we were just...shinobi.” He looked down to where an allied forces headband now rested in his hand. “Anyway, since the war was to make sure that the Akatsuki didn’t get the last two Bijuu, it meant the war was fought to protect us,” he said bitterly. “To protect _me_.”

The scene faded around them, replaced with him fighting alongside Neji and Hinata. “They tried to keep me out of the fighting at first, but you all know me. You know how well that would have gone down.” He heard a few quiet chuckles, but his eyes were locked on Neji. “They may have been fighting a war to protect me, but these were my friends, my precious people. So I joined the fighting.

“They made clones of one of the Akatsuki members, thousands upon thousands of them. But the worst part was the Edo Tensei.” Now he was looking at Dan inside a purple barrier, at Hiashi fighting his brother. At himself fighting the resurrected Jinchuuriki. Yugito slashed her claws at him, and even knowing it was a memory he still flinched.

For a moment the scenes faltered, pulling them back to the sewer. Naruto was breathing shakily, and when a hand landed on his arm he pulled back sharply. Raidou immediately lifted his hand away. “Sorry,” he said sheepishly, but Naruto waved him off, shaking himself. Now wasn’t the time to get stuck in his head (ha).

He held up a hand when it looked like Inoichi was going to interrupt, a concerned look on his face. “Don’t, Inoichi-sama. If I stop now, I won’t be able to start again.” When they had all nodded slowly, he took a deep breath and continued.

“Eventually they got just enough chakra from the Eight and Nine-Tails to restore what is called the Ten-Tailed Beast. The combined force of all their power. So we were up against that, its Jinchuuriki--” There was no way he was mentioning Obito by name right now, “--and a reanimated Madara Uchiha, who had been using the Akatsuki to fulfill his own plans.”

He scrubbed a hand over his face wearily. Now for the fun part. “But how do you kill something that’s already dead, right? We had to seal them all, one by one, and sealing Madara Uchiha was nearly impossible. Our entire army fought together, all five shinobi villages forming an alliance against a greater threat, and we still couldn’t take him down.

“We fought for six years,” he said quietly. “More and more of us died, more and more of my friends.” He smiled sadly. “And then I got sent back here.”

The scene he brought them to this time was a barren, desolate field, piles of rock and debris scattered everywhere. People slipped in and out of makeshift caves, all looking haggard and worn. Everything seemed to fade to grey, even the remaining fighters. It was getting harder each day to remain hopeful. They had gotten so close so many times--all of their original sealers were gone, but Naruto had taken up fuuinjutsu early in the war, so he was their last hope for sealing Madara. Shikamaru was good, but he wasn’t at the level Naruto was--being the chief strategist didn’t give the Nara much time to devote to anything else.

He heard footsteps behind him but didn’t turn. “Gaara says they’re about a mile out,” Temari said softly.

“Are we ready?”

As he turned to look at her, she wore a humorless smile. “As ready as we’re ever going to be.” She clapped him on the shoulder and left to grab her fan. He watched the camp for a moment longer before striding to the cave the Konoha shinobi had been sharing, but they all started pouring out before he could enter. “It’s time,” he said wearily, a small smile on his face as he looked around at his best friends.

Sasuke, firm and resolute, his sword in hand and Rinnegan at the ready.

Sakura, their last healer and one of their fiercest fighters, readjusting her gloves with steel on her knuckles and in her eyes.

Ino, their communicator and their heart, whose ingenuity in battle had only grown over the years, walking with quiet determination.

Shikamaru, sharp eyes taking in every detail of the camp and the field beyond. Their strategist, their leader from the shadows, always ready for anything.

“Gaara says they’re close. I’d say we should be seeing them on the other side of the field anytime now,” he said. He drank in the sight of his friends the way he did before every battle. These were his best friends--his family. Along with Gaara and Temari, they were all he had left. Shikamaru, Sakura, and Sasuke nodded, heading for the edge of camp to meet up with the rest of the survivors.

A hand on his shoulder stopped him from following, and he let himself relax for a moment as Ino quickly braided his hair down his back. Once she had finished, he did the same for her. It had become a tradition of theirs years ago, when they needed something mundane to remind them of when times were normal, of what they were fighting for, _who_ they were fighting for. He tied off the braid, and they followed their friends together. The methodical motions of braiding each other's hair helped keep them grounded in a way little else did these days. Her hand slipped into his, and he squeezed it softly. “Love you, Ino.”

She rolled her eyes--he told her this before every battle, too--but her expression was fond as she looked back at him and gave her usual response. “Love you too, dimwit.” He huffed a small laugh, and they separated as they reached the edge of their camp.

They could see Madara’s forces coming, hundreds of Zetsu clones swarming the field, Madara at their head as he always was. He and Sasuke stepped forward, ahead of the rest of their forces, Shikamaru close behind. He took a deep breath, steadying himself. “You ready, teme?” he asked.

Sasuke smirked. “Worry about yourself, dobe.”

And as Temari’s wind and Gaara’s sand began to rage around them, Naruto and Sasuke led their forces into battle. As always, Naruto and Sasuke ran straight for Madara. They were the only ones capable of fighting him, so they trusted everyone else to do the rest. He met them with the same smile he always had, and with the ease borne from years of practice, Naruto and Sasuke attacked together.

In these battles, every action seemed to blur together. His instincts and the Bijuu inside him were the only reason he hadn’t died ages ago. Even after six years, he still didn’t know how to deal Madara serious damage for long. He just had to keep fighting and hoping and _praying_ that something, anything, would finally work. That he would find enough time to seal him away.

Eventually, Madara blasted him and Sasuke back, slamming them into the rocks so hard he blacked out for a second. It only took them a moment to regain their bearings, but that was long enough for Madara to strike. But in the middle of his motion, he stopped. And when Naruto looked at him, he was bound with shadows.

Shikamaru.

But as he smiled at his friend in gratitude, he saw Madara pull free with a shout of rage. And Madara wasn’t turning immediately to him and Sasuke. No, he was looking at Shikamaru. “You’ve been a thorn in my side for too long, Nara,” he hissed, and he raised his hand to send a chakra ball hurtling towards Shikamaru. There was no way for Shikamaru to move in time to dodge the attack.

His heart stopped.

Naruto didn’t remember deciding to use the Flying Raijin. He didn’t remember activating Kurama’s chakra. He didn’t see Sasuke using the Rinnegan to push the attack into another dimension. He just felt Madara’s attack hit him as he covered Shikamaru’s body with his own.

And after that, all he knew was pain.

Abruptly, Naruto cut off the memory and said, “I’m done, Inoichi-sama. Thank you for your help.” His voice sounded flat even to him, and he couldn’t meet any of their eyes as the Hokage’s office reappeared around them. “Somehow the combination of Sasuke’s dimension shifting, my Flying Raijin, and Kurama’s chakra shot me back in time. So, like I said, I’m here to make sure that this timeline doesn’t end up like mine. Might as well do something useful if I’m stuck here anyway.”

He was met with stunned silence, and after steeling himself he raised his eyes to look at the shinobi surrounding him. Hiruzen appeared to be in shock. Genma, Raidou, and Kakashi looked devastated. Inoichi and Shikaku looked like they had seen ghosts.

Oh, right, their kids were in that last memory. How had he forgotten? Well, too late to prepare them for that. At least he hadn’t shown Shikaku what came after he was sent back in time.

“And how,” Hiruzen began, before faltering. “How are you planning to do that?”

“I’ve already started,” Naruto said quietly. He didn’t even have to see their expressions to feel their confusion. “The reason I’m in the Bingo Book? The people I killed? All members of the Akatsuki. Figured I’d do some of the work for you. And, I guess, now that I’m in Konoha I was planning to take care of the rest of them. Gotta keep Little Me safe, you know?”

Hiruzen continued, “So, you’re saying Orochimaru…”

Oh, of _course_. His head whipped up to level a glare at the Hokage. “Oh, of course that’s the one you’d focus on. Your favorite student. Yeah. In addition to all his experiments and murder, he was also a member of the Akatsuki.” Hiruzen looked shocked at the frustration in Naruto’s tone, but he didn’t care. This was the man that gave Sasuke that cursed seal, the man that twisted his friend into something he wasn’t. This was the man that was so obsessed with immortality that he would steal other people’s bodies to obtain it. Out of all the members of Akatsuki, Orochimaru was the one he had wanted to kill the most. “He left eventually, but not before trying to kill Itachi and steal his body.”

“And what about Itachi?” Genma asked curiously. “He’s still alive, as far as I know.”

Naruto looked at Genma, then at the Hokage, and raised an eyebrow, staring Hiruzen down as he said, “Let’s just say that I know some things about Itachi that make me more sympathetic to his situation.” Hiruzen’s eyes narrowed, but Naruto didn’t look away. After a few moments he shrugged it off before continuing. “So I’ve already dealt with Orochimaru, Kisame, and Kakuzu, but there are still eight members out there. I know who they are and how they fight, and I’m going to neutralize them all.” He didn’t really want to lie and say ‘kill.’ If he could avoid fighting Konan and Nagato again, he would, and he had no intentions of harming Itachi. Those three had been through enough.

Looking around the room, the other shinobi were looking at him like they were trying to figure him out. Shikaku especially looked like he was staring right through Naruto, which was pretty normal for a Nara, so that part didn’t bother him. No, it was the eyes that reminded him of another, the eyes of his best friend and the horror they held when Naruto launched himself in front of Madara’s attack. He looked away quickly.

“And what do you need from us?” Inoichi asked calmly. Really, he was probably taking this the best out of all of them. Shikaku and Genma weren’t doing too bad either. The other three looked a bit like a strong puff of wind would blow them over, though.

“Help,” Naruto said bluntly. “I’m not arrogant enough to think I can take on the entire Akatsuki on my own. I’ve been okay so far because I’ve been going after the ones on their own. Eventually they’re going to notice me, if they haven’t caught on already. I’ll need help, and all of you are valuable allies. I want to join the village, so the jounin commander knowing who I really am would be helpful.” He inclined his head to Shikaku. “All of you are incredibly skilled fighters, people that I wouldn’t hesitate to take with me to take out a member or two. People I want on my side.

“But you,” he said, pointing at Kakashi, “will have some kids to worry about, so I don’t expect you to be available for a while.”

Kakashi blinked, and finally, _finally_ spoke. “I’ve failed every genin team Hokage-sama has tried to give me,” he said, trying to sound bored and failing miserably. “What makes you think that this team will be different?”

Naruto laughed, quiet but real. He couldn’t help it. He needed to pull himself out of the hole he was rapidly descending into, and messing with Kakashi had always been a surefire way to do that. “Because,” he said with a grin, “you were _my_ jounin instructor, Kakashi- _sensei_.”

Kakashi stared at him, then at the Hokage, then back at him. “You’re kidding,” he said, voice flat. “Hokage-sama, please tell me you’re not going to put my dead mentor’s son in my genin team.” The silence was answer enough, honestly, and the color drained from his face. But before he could speak, Naruto did.

“Okay yeah, actually, that does bring me to another thing I wanted to bring up before calling it a night.” He turned to Hiruzen. “Why the _fuck_ did you let me grow up entirely alone?”

Genma still wasn’t entirely sure what was going on, but Naruto was certainly entertaining, if nothing else. So not much had changed there. He shoved thoughts of the war away for the moment; he didn’t have time to process that right now, and he would come back to it once this situation had been handled, at least for the night. Now, though, he was watching Naruto glare daggers at the Hokage.

The Hokage raised his eyebrows, his attempt at nonchalance failing to hide how white his knuckles were. “What are you referring to, Naruto?”

There was almost a palpable drop in temperature as Naruto laughed. It was not a nice sound. “What am I referring--how about dropping me in an apartment and letting me live alone from the time I was four? Not letting anyone talk to me about my parents? Banning Kakashi from interacting with me at all? Letting Danzo tell the village I was the Kyuubi’s Jinchuuriki? Not stopping the civilians from abusing me at every opportunity? All you did was give me an ANBU guard I never interacted with. Only a few ever bothered to try to help me, and they’re all in this room!” He gestured towards Genma, Raidou, and Kakashi, and Genma jolted. He hadn’t realized that Naruto knew about him.

Naruto glanced over at them, and his lips curved into a tiny smile before his expression turned to stone and he turned back to the Hokage. “Should I go on, Sarutobi?” he asked coldly. “Or do you remember now?”

Honestly, Genma was impressed, and looking at Raidou told him that his best friend felt the same. It took a lot to stand up to the Hokage of all people. Especially when he was apparently trying to join the village.

The Hokage’s face hardened. “Now, Naruto, I have certainly made mistakes, but if you are going to join Konoha you’re going to have to learn respect.”

“I’ll give you my respect when you’ve earned it,” Naruto said coolly, and Genma’s eyes widened. Inoichi and Shikaku, on the other hand, looked suspiciously like they were trying not to smile. “You have to understand, Lord Third. I lived through an unwinnable war, watched almost all of my friends die right in front of me, I fought for six years against a reanimated Madara Uchiha, his undead army, and the fucking Ten-Tailed Beast. There is _nothing_ you can do or say that would scare me now.

“I’m here to help the village and help Naruto because I want his life to be better than mine was. I love many of the people here. I miss them, and I think I’m finally ready to try seeing some of them again. And I’m ready to right some of the wrongs I saw while I was growing up. I respect your position as Hokage. I will complete the missions you assign me, I will follow your orders, but I will not act contrary to my moral compass, and I will always do what I need to do to prevent the war.” Naruto took a deep breath, still looking completely unruffled. “Is that acceptable?”

Complete silence reigned for several long moments, before Hiruzen speared Naruto with a stern look that Naruto met head-on. “It is.” Genma sighed in relief. He really didn’t want to watch the Hokage fight a war-hardened Uzumaki Naruto in the middle of Hiruzen’s office. “And if I am understanding correctly, you want only the people in this room to know the truth of your identity?”

Naruto nodded. “Exactly. No one else can know, and you’re the ones I’m trusting, because I believe I can.” His voice dropped dangerously again. “And when I say no one, Sarutobi, I mean _no one_ . Don’t even _think_ about telling Danzo or your council. I’ll know if you do.”

And, honestly, Genma completely believed him.

“So who are you going to be now, then?” Shikaku asked, doing a much better job than Kakashi at sounding bored.

Naruto smirked at Shikaku, braid sliding over his shoulder as he looked at the older man. “Oh, I’m Uzumaki Hiromitsu, nice to meet you. Call me Hiro. My mother and I survived the fall of Uzushio, but she died, leaving me to fend for myself. I didn’t want to attach myself to a village for a long time, as I didn’t trust that anyone would welcome me considering what happened to Uzushio. Eventually, however, I decided to go to Konoha. They had housed Uzumaki before, and were my best bet.”

Shikaku cracked a smile. “Sounds good to me, kid.”

Hiruzen sighed, looking like he would rather be anywhere but here. “If we are the only ones to know of your true identity, I will need to have you watched for a period of time, which will likely be decided by the Clan heads and the council. You will live with one of our shinobi until your loyalty is assured. I’ll begin sending you on missions after giving you some time to settle in.”

And Naruto--Hiro--actually bowed his head slightly. “Thank you, Hokage-sama,” he said with a straight face. “I’m sure you’re ready to conclude this meeting.” Genma could practically hear the _I know I am_. “Where should I stay?”

Inoichi spoke up before anyone else could. “Well, we do have three shinobi here who live in the same apartment building.” He indicated Kakashi, Genma, and Raidou with an amused light in his eyes. “Perhaps he could stay with Kakashi, as he will be in the village more often to train his genin team? And he can stay with Genma or Raidou when Kakashi’s team is outside the village.”

Hiruzen didn’t even look up as he nodded. “Excellent suggestion, Inoichi. You’re all dismissed.”

Hiro made several hand signs, and with a small burst of chakra he said, “All right, my barrier around the room is gone. Nothing will stop you all from leaving.”

Before leaving, Inoichi and Shikaku stopped to speak to Hiro. Their faces, while serious, were still friendly. Hiro nodded, his small smile returning even though he didn’t meet their eyes, and after a few moments the Clan heads left. Hiro turned to the other three shinobi. “Well, it looks like you’re stuck with me,” he said, and while he was still smiling, his eyes just looked sad. “Shall we?”

Hiro was quiet as he followed Kakashi and the others to their apartment building. He glanced over the streets, empty due to the late hour. Instead of the relief or contentment he had hoped to feel, guilt and pain burned in his chest, making it hard to breathe. This was his home, the home he had failed to protect, full of the people who had died because he could not complete his mission.

From the rooftops they were running on, the shinobi were able to enter Kakashi’s apartment through the window. They all stood in the front room for a moment, all looking at each other and no one quite knowing what to say. Thankfully, Raidou broke the uncomfortable silence. “Well Naru--Hiro, I hope we see you soon so we can get to know each other better. The four of us can rope Asuma and the others into grabbing some drinks one night. What do you think?”

Hiro gave him a grateful smile, trying to ignore the wave of emotion that was threatening to drown him. “Thanks, Raidou,” he said sincerely. “I’d really like that.”

With a nod, Raidou turned to the door, tapping Genma on the arm as he passed. The senbon user hadn’t taken his eyes off Hiro, rather like how Shikaku was trying to figure him out earlier. He blinked and nodded. “Right, sorry about that. We’ll see you around, Hiro. Night, Kakashi.”

And then the door closed, and Hiro was alone with his old jounin sensei. Yet another precious friend who died right in front of him. Decapitated by a reanimated Swordsman of the Mist, actually, after having fought several at once for over an hour.

Hiro flinched slightly, looking away from Kakashi. Death could be so quick. One second Kakashi was next to the team, the next he was lying on the ground. And in battle there was never time to mourn. Five years into the war, when Kakashi died, Hiro had hardened himself enough to at least get through the battle before breaking down.

He knew Kakashi had picked up on his flinch, but thankfully he didn’t mention it. After all, he knew all about fallen comrades. “There’s a futon in the spare bedroom,” he said with his casual, unaffected air. “Use anything you need, and tomorrow we can show you the village--well, you can see it again. I think the Hokage would want one of us to stick with you throughout the day, too, at least for the first little while.”

Hiro nodded slowly. “I’m sure you’re right,” he said, taking a chance and looking at Kakashi’s face. Funnily enough, Kakashi wasn’t looking at him, either. Maybe he shouldn’t be, but Hiro’s so glad that he’s not the only one who doesn’t know how to handle this. “Thank you, Kakashi.” He gave the other man a slight bow and retreated to the room he had indicated. He closed the door, reached into a pocket, and placed a seal on the door. This was just to keep anyone from seeing or hearing anything, but didn’t actually stop anyone from entering.

He didn’t want Kakashi to lose sleep because Hiro couldn’t manage his nightmares.

All at once, a bone-deep weariness spread through his body, and he nearly collapsed onto the futon. Laying down, he felt the urge to cry, but couldn’t quite manage it. Tonight would not be good. But suddenly he remembered Kurama’s words from earlier, and with a sigh retreated into his mindscape.

Shukaku, Chomei and Gyuuki were playing some sort of game, Son Goku and Kokuo were each walking quietly on their own, but the rest were stretched out on the ground in front of him. Isobu, always quick to notice his distress, turned to him almost immediately, which alerted the others to his presence.

“Hiro,” Isobu said gently. “You look tired.”

He laughed, but it was weak. “I am, Isobu. Today was...a lot.” He looked around at his friends fondly, softening slightly. His mouth pressed into a thin line. “You know, I keep waiting for the pain to really hit me. I keep expecting it to hurt when I see people I used to know, used to love, but I haven’t really felt anything yet.” He walked over to his friends slowly and sat down to curl against Matatabi’s side, pulling his braid over his shoulder to pool in his lap. The blue cat wrapped a gentle tail around him, pulling him more firmly into her warmth. He sank into her with a sigh, eyes falling closed. “I just… I feel like there’s this wall around my heart, and while I was traveling alone that was all right. It kept me from being too lonely, and I tell you all everything so that wasn’t ever going to be an issue, but now… I don’t want a wall between myself and my village. Between me and the people I love. But I don’t know how to change it.”

Kurama moved to lay near Matatabi, looking Hiro in the eyes. “I’m not sure, brat,” he said. “I felt the same way. You just shoved your way past my defenses anyway, but somehow I don’t think that solution will work here. There's no one quite like you.” That got a chuckle from Hiro.

Saiken spoke up next. “Hiro, do you think it’s possible that you haven’t allowed yourself to really process everything and everyone you lost?” Before Hiro could interrupt, he continued. “You’ve been wired purely for survival for almost a decade, and you don’t have a lot of time for emotion when you’re just trying to live another day.”

“But how is that possible?” Hiro whispered, tightening a hand in Matatabi’s fur. “I watched so many of them die, I cried for them, I mourned them. And Shikamaru…” He broke off, breathing too quickly.

“Yes, you mourned them as much as you were able,” Isobu agreed. “But Hiro, crying over fallen friends at the end of a battle isn’t the same as allowing yourself to truly feel your loss. You had to keep moving, and everyone was looking to you to lead. You, Shikamaru and Gaara were really the only leaders they had left. You didn’t have time to deal with your pain. You were too busy shouldering the pain of everyone else.”

Hiro inhaled sharply, biting his tongue so hard he was surprised he didn’t taste blood. When he could finally speak, he said, “But what about here? I’ve been here for two years, Isobu. You saw what happened when I realized I couldn’t go back. And you saw me when I… when I got here.”

“Grief is a process, kitten,” Matatabi said softly, pressing him against her a little more firmly. “You cannot let it out once and assume that the pain is gone. You’ve been running yourself into the ground, first trying to get back to your time, then tracking down Akatsuki members. You’ve finally reached a place where you can slow down. And that’s good--you’ve been alone too long, Hiro. You need your friends.”

“But I have you,” Hiro whispered stubbornly.

Kurama gave him an unimpressed look. “Kit, we may be your family, but we can’t replace human relationships.”

“We all love you,” Isobu continued. “But you need friends outside of your own head again. That wall around your heart, Hiro, is mostly fear. You’re afraid of what will happen if you let someone in again.”

He still felt numb, but Hiro felt a tear slip down his cheek. His voice was small as he said, “I am. I am afraid. Last time I lost everyone. There’s no one left. You’re the only constants I have. How can I be sure it won’t happen again?”

“You can’t be. Not entirely.” That was Kokuo, apparently having returned from her walk. “But the bonds you make are worth it, Hiro. Would you rather you never knew Sasuke and Sakura, Gaara and Ino?” Hiro flinched, but she wasn’t done.

“Do you wish you had never met Shikamaru?”

With that, he broke. Shoulders shaking with silent sobs, he pressed his face into Matatabi’s fur, trying to find comfort from her gentle warmth. Of course not, of course he didn’t wish those bonds had never existed. He could never. He loved them--he still loves them. But his guilt--he is responsible for so much of their pain, for so many deaths.

Somehow, Kurama always knew exactly what he was thinking. And the bastard was never afraid to say it. “Naruto,” he said firmly, “Shikamaru’s death was not your fault.”

Ah, his crying wasn’t silent anymore. His sobs wracked his entire body. He curled up as small as he could, as if he could make himself disappear, but it didn’t erase the memory that would haunt him until the day he died.

He woke up in the forest, the quiet sound of wildlife around him. His back was in agony, but he knew whatever it was, it wouldn’t kill him. He’d taken worse. But--forest? Madara and Zetsu had demolished all the forests years ago. Blinking slowly, he tried to remember what had happened.

Then he shot up, ignoring his back screaming at him in protest.

_Shikamaru._

He had jumped in front of his best friend to shield him from Madara’s attack, one that he knew he could survive but Shikamaru couldn’t. His vision was still blurry, and he shook his head to clear it. “Kurama? Are you there?” he asked. “What happened?”

After a few tense moments of silence, the fox’s voice echoed in his mind, sounding exhausted. “We aren’t positive, but we think you may be in the past. Whatever it did, it drained a majority of our chakra. That’s why we aren’t healing you right now. If you had smaller reserves you wouldn’t have made it.”

He nodded slowly, shifting to look at his surroundings. He looked at the trees, the ferns, the blue sky, and he smiled.

But then he saw it. A body, lying several feet away from him, facing the other direction. Motionless. His breath caught in his throat. No. It couldn’t be.

Slowly, tentatively, he moved over to the body. He put a gentle hand on its shoulder to roll it onto its back, and his heart stopped. “Shikamaru?” he whispered. He grabbed the man’s wrist, searching for a pulse and finding nothing. He checked for breathing, and found nothing. His friend’s eyes were open and glassy, staring at nothing. He knew that look. He knew all too well what corpses looked like.

Kurama’s words rang in his mind: ‘If you had smaller reserves you wouldn’t have made it.’ He had pulled Shikamaru through to the past with him. And now his best friend was dead. “No,” he whispered, voice choked. “No, this was supposed to… I was trying to… I was supposed to _save_ you. How could I… why did I kill you instead?”

The shock, grief, guilt, agony built up until he couldn’t hold it in anymore, but instead of the tears he half-expected, he screamed. Pressing his forehead to the ground, he screamed into the earth, fingers fisted in Shikamaru’s jacket. Not for the first time, he wondered if it would be easier to just give up. To stay with Shikamaru’s body until he joined him. The Bijuu had finally convinced him to get up, but a piece of his soul was still back in that clearing, where he woke up to the reality that he had killed his best friend.

And now, he finally cried for that friend. Once he started, he couldn’t seem to stop, sobs tearing through his body as Matatabi comforted him as best she could. So many gone, and for what? Without him they couldn’t have sealed Madara. Once he came back in time, his world may have entirely ceased to exist. Either way, everything was gone.

Their faces raced through his mind. Neji, Tenten, Kankuro, Shino, Hinata, Sai, Choji, Lee, Kakashi, Kiba, Yamato, Tsunade, Obito, and countless others he had failed to protect.

And those he had left behind. Gaara and Temari. Sasuke and Sakura. Ino.

And Shikamaru.

In the end, he wasn’t sure how long he cried into Matatabi’s side, only that when he finally fell asleep, with all the Bijuu resting around him, he felt a bit lighter, and the wall around his heart was finally beginning to crack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was brought to you by My Anger at Konoha and Naruto not giving a fuck what anyone else thinks. Now, I don't think Sarutobi is a bad person. But he fucked up so bad with Naruto, and I can't forgive him for that. My boy deserved better, and now he finally knows that.
> 
> Also, feel free to interpret Naruto and Ino's relationship in that last memory however you want. I'm not sure what happened there, exactly. Those two said "time to be ambiguous" and I followed along like the tired writer I am.
> 
> Thanks again for reading! I love hearing from you, it makes my day :) see you next time!


	3. In which nothing goes smoothly for Hiro, like, ever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I've been blown away at how many of you have been enjoying this--thank you all for reading! I don't want to do stats reading right now so I'm procrastinating by posting a new chapter :) so here y'all go

Hiro jolted awake, sitting upright and processing the room around him. After a few moments he sighed, passing a hand over his face. Right. He was in Kakashi’s apartment. His old teacher. Who was his age this time around. And who he would be living with for the foreseeable future.

Fuck, this was weird.

It wasn’t quite dawn yet, but Hiro got out of bed anyway. He wouldn’t be getting any more sleep, no sense in staying in the room. He opened the door to silence, shadows cast down the hallway. So Kakashi wasn’t awake yet, not that Hiro expected him to be. Hiro was used to running on little to no sleep, and sleeping light enough that nothing could ever sneak up on him.

He showered quickly, ignoring his gnawing anxiety over being in such a vulnerable position in someone else’s home. ‘This is Kakashi, you imbecile,’ he thought with a huff. ‘I think he would actually die of guilt if he ever hurt me. And if he didn’t, Mom would kill him herself.’ It was a pity, really, that anxiety didn’t tend to listen to reason.

He rebraided his hair on his way to the front room, relishing the early morning stillness, and poked around Kakashi’s kitchen until he found supplies for tea. When Kakashi found him half an hour later, he was sitting on the couch with a mug of tea, looking out the window as the sun rose over the village. “I made enough tea for two, if you’d like some,” Hiro said quietly, without looking away from the window. Kakashi didn’t say anything, but a few minutes later he joined Hiro on the couch with his own mug.

They sat in silence for a few moments. “I assume I shouldn’t let on that I know about Little Me,” he mused. “A newcomer probably shouldn’t be allowed near the Jinchuuriki.”

Kakashi nodded. “That about sums it up, yeah.” After a few moments of hesitation, he asked, “So, I wasn’t allowed to… I couldn’t let you know… couldn’t talk to you in your world either?”

“Yeah, I didn’t know who you were until you became my jounin sensei,” Hiro said quietly. He caught Kakashi’s minute flinch, the flash of guilt, and rolled his eyes. “It’s not your fault that Sarutobi has no idea how to handle traumatized kids and orphans, Kakashi. And I’m not just talking about me. But anyway, you were in ANBU, you couldn’t just disobey him. Not even for me. Actually, considering your connection to Minato and their justification for keeping you away,  _ especially _ for me.”

“You didn’t strike me as one to care about his authority,” Kakashi said wryly.

Hiro snorted, finishing his tea and setting the mug down. “When I was a kid,” he said, lacing his fingers together, “I practically idolized Sarutobi. He was one of the few people that openly cared about me. But it was hard to see him the same way after I found out that he ordered all my parents’ friends to stay away from me, and that was the reason I had been so alone. And it only got worse when I found out that he let Danzo tell the village that I was the Jinchuuriki.” Not to mention the whole Uchiha disaster.

He turned to look Kakashi in the eye. “It might have been all right, if he had actively tried to keep me safe from the villagers. But he didn’t. Instead he dropped me in an apartment, alone, when I was four. He did nothing while the villagers hurt me, abused me verbally and physically. Sometimes I went months without seeing him, simply because he was too busy for me.” He hummed thoughtfully. “I soaked up any bit of attention I could get when I was younger, and thought that was love. Since Sarutobi gave me more attention than others did, I assumed that he loved me the most. But that’s not love. It took me far too long to realize that.”

Kakashi watched him for a moment, searching his face, then gave a small chuckle. “You know, I’ve heard you mention Danzo a few times. Not a fan?”

Hiro’s mouth twisted. “That’s an understatement. What he does to those kids in ROOT… it’s unconscionable.”

Kakashi blinked. “You know about what happens in ROOT?”

Hiro laughed. “Kakashi, if you’re going to act this surprised every time I reveal something that I know, we’re never really going to get anywhere in our conversations.” His tone sobered. “Yes, I know about ROOT. There was a time when Danzo placed one of his operatives on my team to keep an eye on me. He was reporting back to Danzo. Not sure why. I don’t think I ever asked. But hey, now that I’m here, if I have the chance I can grab Yamato-taichou and we can go punch him in the face. That would be cathartic. Then we’ll just have to teach Sai how to emote again.”

At Kakashi’s blank look, he remembered. “Oh yeah, Yamato wasn’t his real name, was it? Did he ever tell us? I know you knew, but Sakura and I never asked. Oh, but he can do Wood-style jutsu. Brown hair, black eyes, could be absolutely terrifying when he wanted to be?”

Comprehension flooded Kakashi’s face. “Tenzo.”

“Yes! That’s him. I figured there couldn’t be too many Wood-release shinobi wandering around the village.”

They sat for a few minutes longer, before Kakashi said, “You know, you act nothing like him. Don’t look much like him either.”

“Who? Little Me?” Hiro asked. “As for how I look, it’s a long story.” He couldn’t blame Kakashi for wondering. Sometimes Hiro couldn’t believe how much his appearance has changed either. He and Kurama still weren’t completely sure what caused the red hair and purple eyes, but it had happened after a time Madara got particularly close to extracting the Bijuu. The most viable explanation was that Kurama and Naruto had been pulling on each other’s chakra so hard, trying not to be separated, that some of their chakra actually fused together. So instead of coexisting like they had before, they were almost extensions of each other. He still had no idea why that changed his hair of all things, but Kurama had explained the eyes, at least. Naruto’s blue eyes had mixed with Kurama’s red eyes. Now they were purple. At least  _ that _ one made sense.

“But as for how I act, Little Me didn’t have any friends and hadn’t fought in a war. Granted, I had mellowed out a bit before the war even started. Always had more energy than anyone knew what to do with, but the humor definitely toned itself down.” He looked back out the window, watching the sun illuminate the familiar buildings and streets. “When you lead an army,” he said quietly, “you don’t get the luxury of joking around.” Oh. Shit. He hadn’t meant to mention that.

And from the look on Kakashi’s face, he was  _ definitely _ about to ask, so instead Hiro jumped up and said brightly, “Well, no sense staying here all day. Mind if we go take a walk around the village?”

“Ah, sure,” Kakashi said, thrown off by his change in demeanor. “I’m pretty sure I don’t have any missions or jobs until the genin graduate, so we can go wherever.”

“You mean, your job is to watch me until the genin graduate,” Hiro corrected lightly, taking both mugs back to the kitchen. “Maybe not officially, but we both know that’s what you’re doing. We’ll probably have some ANBU friends joining us too, I’d imagine. Maybe Tenzo will be there.”

A few minutes later they were out the door, and Hiro was a civilian walking through his village for the first time in nine years. Shops lined the streets, brightly colored wares displayed wherever they could be seen. A kid near them was trying to pull his mother towards a dango stand. A couple walked by hand in hand. Harried parents hurried from store to store, rushing through every task.

It was just so… normal. Reflexively Hiro glanced up at Hokage Mountain, a small smile brightening his face at the sight of his father. Hashirama had been pretty cool too during the short time they got to fight together.

Kakashi had his face buried in his ever-present book, but Hiro appreciated the quiet, their own little bubble of silence within the quick pace of the market district. Besides, Hiro didn’t need Kakashi to guide him. He knew where he wanted to go.

Soon enough, they stood before the Memorial Stone. Kakashi glanced at Hiro, who smiled without looking back. “I know you spend a lot of time here,” he said, “so take as long as you’d like. I’m in no hurry, and there are plenty of people I want to talk to as well.” He stepped up to the stone before he could see Kakashi’s reaction, kneeling before it and letting his fingers trace the names. Soon enough, he found who he was looking for.

“Hey Mom, Dad,” Hiro said softly. “I’ve been in the past for two years, but I finally came back to Konoha last night. Sarutobi took it better than I expected, if I’m being honest, but I’m not here to talk about him.” He took a deep breath. “Matatabi says that grief is a long road, and it takes a lot of time to fully process everything I’m feeling. Makes sense. I’m making up for nine years of loss, you know? And I’m not sure I ever got over you guys in the first place.

“I miss you. I miss learning Fuuinjutsu from Dad and hearing his stories of his time with you, Mom. I miss talking to my friends, the people who went through hell with me and still fought by my side. But I’m also tired. Going after the Akatsuki for the second time wasn’t exactly how I planned to spend my twenties. You think I would have been Hokage yet, if we had won the war fast enough? Well, I’ll just have to make sure that Little Me gets that hat eventually.”

He spent a few more minutes talking to his parents, telling them about his years trying to get back to his time and then hunting the Akatsuki. He told them about Uzushio and how it’s still beautiful, even in ruins. He told them about the Bijuu, and his friendship with Kurama.

After a while, he sat back, leaning his back against a tree trunk as he gazed at the stone. Kakashi hadn’t moved, and Hiro wasn’t going to interrupt until he decided to leave. It’s not like he had a shortage of people he could talk to. He spoke silently to Sasuke and Sakura, bringing up old Team 7 memories. He talked to Shino, whose quiet strength had been grounding for everyone. And, like Kakashi (although his former sensei didn’t know it), he spoke to Obito. It had taken a few months before Hiro could say that he and Obito were truly friends, but he was honest and insightful the way few people were other than Sasuke. Was it an Uchiha thing? Coincidentally, he had fallen during the same battle as Kakashi. They never could get away from each other, apparently not even in death.

Since he wasn’t moving anyway, he closed his eyes and began meditating, sensing the Nature chakra around him. It was natural for him now, something he reached for almost without thinking about it. He could feel Sage mode building, and each time it reached its maximum potential he let the energy go. It almost felt like the energy was breathing when he meditated like this, drawing the chakra in and smoothly letting it go.

After a while, he sensed Kakashi walking towards him, and let go of Sage mode, standing fluidly to meet him with a small smile. “You ready?” he asked.

Kakashi nodded. It looked like he wanted to say something but was having trouble getting the words out. “Thank you,” he said at last, “for waiting.”

Hiro shrugged as they walked back into the trees. “No problem, meditating is good for me anyway. I can’t let myself get out of practice, or Fukasaku would never forgive me.” At Kakashi’s questioning glance, he clarified, “One of the Sage toads. He’s the one who taught me how to use Nature chakra in the first place.”

Kakashi hummed in acknowledgement. “So that was senjutsu,” he mused. “It looks a little different when Jiraiya does it, but I thought it looked similar.”

In retrospect, Hiro was going to blame his lack of spatial awareness on hearing Jiraiya’s name, but as he opened his mouth to respond, he was nearly bowled over by a large green blur. For a few seconds Hiro could only blink, mouth still open. Thankfully, Kakashi looked just as surprised. “Um, Kakashi,” he started slowly, “what was--”

“Apologies, My Eternal Rival!” shouted a very exuberant, very familiar voice.

Kakashi groaned. “I should have known.” he said in a low voice. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Really, I should have expected this.” The green blur raced back to stand before them, and only then did Hiro realize that it was actually two people. “Gai, please try not to kill my assignment on day one, he hasn’t even made friends yet. Let him socialize a bit before you run him over.”

Hiro, meanwhile, was trying to remember how to breathe. The peace he gained through his meditation shattered abruptly. He had forgotten just how green those jumpsuits were, how much Lee looked like Gai. The last time he saw them, they were using their Taijutsu to fight Madara, hoping that their combined power and open Gates would give them an edge.

It hadn’t.

“Apologies, Kakashi-san!” Lee exclaimed. “We were running one hundred laps around the village as a warm up for the day, and did not see you!”

“And Who Is This, Kakashi?” Gai asked, looking at Hiro.

Thankfully, Hiro’s voice decided to start working again. “Hiro,” he said. “I’m a new shinobi in the village, and Kakashi’s showing me the ropes and making sure I can be trusted.”

“A Fitting Task For My Eternal Rival!” Gai gave Kakashi a dazzling grin before turning back to Hiro. “It Is Nice To Meet You, Hiro-San! I Am Maito Gai, And This Is My Student, Rock Lee! We Welcome You To Konoha!”

They heard more footsteps approaching, and with a stab of horror Hiro remembered who else was on Gai’s team. But before he could make up an excuse to get him and Kakashi out of there, two more genin burst into the clearing. This time, Hiro was pretty sure his heart actually did stop. Out of all the people he knew he would be seeing again, he hadn’t expected Neji to be among the first. Hiro could only be grateful for the compartmentalization skills he picked up during the war--he quickly shoved his rising guilt, misery, and panic into a box that he would deal with later.

“Gai-sensei, you know we can’t run as fast as you and Lee can,” the girl complained, although Hiro had expected her to be a lot more out of breath than she was, considering her sensei. “Neji and I can’t keep up!”

“Pushing Yourself To Your Limits Is the Pinnacle Of Youthfulness!” Gai proclaimed. “We Each Must Give Our All To This Training!”

“Right, Gai-sensei!” Lee agreed, stars in his eyes as he gazed up at his mentor.

Neji just let out a small, annoyed sigh. But then his eyes locked onto Hiro, curiosity flickering in their depths.

“Ah!” Gai said, noticing the focus of Neji’s attention. “This Is Hiro-San, A New Shinobi Of The Leaf! Kakashi-San Is Introducing Him To Our Lovely Village. We Ran Into Them--”

“Almost literally,” Kakashi grumbled.

“--And It Would Have Been Most Unyouthful Not To Introduce Ourselves!” He shot another blinding smile at Hiro.

Hiro was still trying to convince his lungs to do their job. He had forgotten how angry Destiny-Era Neji always looked, had forgotten how he hid his pain with fury. He gave them a small smile, but it felt stilted, and he noticed Kakashi’s brow furrowing out of the corner of his eye.  _ Please, Kakashi _ , he prayed silently,  _ don’t say anything _ . “That’s right, I just entered the village last night, so this is my first time really walking around,” he said, and something in his tone must have concerned Kakashi further, based on how his gaze zeroed in on Hiro’s face. “It’s very nice to meet you all. I’m sure he has you working very hard,” he said, tilting his head towards Gai.

Tenten gave an annoyed huff. “That’s one way of putting it,” she muttered.

Hiro’s smile quirked into something a little more genuine. Tenten always did know how to lighten his mood.

Kakashi clapped his hands together. “Well! This has been fun, Gai, but don’t you think you should continue your training?”

“Ah, Of Course!” Gai exclaimed. “Right As Always, My Eternal Rival. Come, My Students! We Must Continue Our Warm Up So We May Begin Our True Training.” And with that, he dashed away into the trees, Lee immediately following behind.

Neji hissed something that sounded suspiciously like “Kill me now,” evoking a choked laugh from Tenten, but they both dutifully followed Gai as well.

Before Kakashi could say a word, Hiro’s breath hitched and he ran. He barely heard Kakashi call after him before cursing and running after him. He didn’t stop until he was in a small, deserted clearing, and he collapsed against one of the trees, vision blurry. He didn’t even feel himself hyperventilating, didn’t notice Kakashi saying his name as he approached. The color seemed to be bleeding from his surroundings, leaving everything as grey as the battlefields he was so familiar with.

He could feel his hands shaking, and knew in some corner of his mind that he was having a panic attack, but the knowledge did little to help. He saw the seal fade from Neji’s forehead as he died, heard Lee scream over his friend, and once again he was reminded that Neji’s death, like so many others, was due to his failure.

The memories, once unlocked, flooded over him.

Hinata, bleeding out but fighting to her last breath.

Tsunade, the mark on her forehead disappearing under the blood of the wounds that finally proved fatal.

Sai, gutted while trying to seal a reanimated Yamato.

Izumo and Kotetsu, ripped apart by the endless Zetsu clones.

The images started blurring together, and the one common factor between them all was the blood. With this much blood on his hands, how had he not drowned in it yet?

He felt a bit like he was drowning, he thought distantly. He couldn’t seem to catch his breath, he was shivering uncontrollably, and his fingers were starting to lose feeling.

Suddenly, something warm and soft pressed against his side, tucked itself under his chin. He could feel it breathing slowly. He desperately grabbed onto it, anything to remind him what was real. His breathing gradually slowed, and his ears stopped ringing enough to hear someone gently calling his name.

“--ro? Hiro, can you hear me?” the soft voice continued. “It’s okay, Hiro, you’re safe. I’m with you.”

Oh. He recognized that voice. “Sora?” he asked, voice thick with tears. He looked down to find the white fox tucked against him, one of her tails brushing his legs reassuringly.

“That’s right. It looks like you summoned me in the middle of your panic attack. It’s impressive that you were able to manage it, considering you probably didn’t know what you were doing.” She pulled back just enough for Hiro to see her face, eyes flashing protectively. “What happened?”

“It’s all right, Sora,” he said, voice breaking. “I just saw someone I wasn’t expecting to see yet. I wasn’t ready. I should have known better. I’m in the village now, I need to be ready to see anyone.”

Sora gave him an unimpressed look. “Mm-hmm. Right. You should definitely be ready to see the people that you literally watched die.” Hiro’s breath stuttered. “Yeah, because  _ that’s _ how emotion works.”

“I don’t need your sass right now, Sora,” he grumbled, but he couldn’t hide the small smile growing on his face.

“Well clearly you aren’t listening to Kurama, so it’s our turn to try, I guess. We haven’t decided you’re completely hopeless yet,” she continued nonchalantly.

That got a small laugh from Hiro. “Thanks, that’s exactly how I always wanted someone to describe me. ‘This is Hiro. He’s not completely hopeless yet.’ We need to work on your compliments.”

“I wasn’t trying to compliment you, I was trying to lecture you, you obnoxious brat. Don’t make me get Akito.” Deeming her threat sufficient at the sight of Hiro’s widened eyes, she tilted her head to the side. “Now, you should probably introduce me to your friend and explain what’s going on so the poor man doesn’t have a heart attack. Really, Hiro, you need to be more considerate,” she teased.

Ah, right, Kakashi was here. Exhaustion was quickly settling in, and he leaned more heavily against the tree as he turned to face Kakashi. The man looked concerned but not panicked, which Hiro counted as a win considering foxes probably weren’t a fan favorite around here. “Sorry about that, Kakashi,” he said with a wan smile, running his fingers through Sora’s fur. “Neji was… the first of my friends to die, and he died taking an attack meant for me. Died in my arms, you know? I wasn’t expecting to see him first thing.”

He’d also had a massive crush on Neji since he came back from training with Jiraiya, but he wasn’t about to disclose  _ that _ to Kakashi in casual conversation.

“Maa, don’t worry about it.” Kakashi shrugged. “I don’t think there’s a jounin in Konoha that doesn’t have panic attacks sometimes.”

Hiro smiled. “Thanks. Oh, and this is Sora, one of my summons,” he said, voice brightening as he turned back to Sora. “Apparently my response to panic attacks is to summon one of the foxes, which is actually a pretty solid panic response if you ask me.” He chuckled. “Don’t tell him, but I’m glad you came instead of Akito. You’re more comforting than he is.” He dragged his hands over his face. “God, I’m so glad no one else was around. You already know me--sort of--so it’s fine, Kakashi, but I don’t really want someone’s first impression of me to be during a panic attack of all things.” Gently, he placed Sora on the ground and stood, giving Kakashi a tiny smile.

“You’re okay then?” Sora asked nonchalantly.

Hiro wasn’t fooled, but nodded seriously anyway. “Yeah, I imagine we’re just gonna go back to the village and do… something?” He glanced at Kakashi, who shrugged. “But, Sora,” he said quietly. “Thank you.”

Her eyes softened. “Anytime.” And with a puff of smoke, she was gone.

Hiro turned to Kakashi, sticking his hands in his pockets. “Is there any chance that we can just… act like this never happened?”

Kakashi let out a surprised laugh, his eye smile making an appearance. “Maa, I’m afraid I don’t follow. Act like what never happened?”

“Exactly.”

They managed to avoid any other emotional breakdowns that day, for which Hiro was grateful. Although, now that one of the worst was done, he might(?) handle it better in the future. And the universe must have wanted to test him on that, because as they were walking by the flower shop, Inoichi stuck his head out and called them over.

“I’m having Hiro over for dinner,” he began.

“You are?” Hiro asked, baffled.

“So I’ll take him off your hands for the night. I’ll bring him back when Ino’s done with him.” Ah, that didn’t sound foreboding at all. And Kakashi agreed  _ far _ too quickly, the traitor. An instant later he had disappeared, and Inoichi was waving Hiro into the shop. Hiro stepped through the doorway with some trepidation. There was no one else in the shop, and Inoichi locked the door after Hiro entered. He was trying hard not to assume anything, but his anxiety screamed at him to  _ get out get out get out _ .

Inoichi looked up at Hiro and noticed his tense frame. He smiled ruefully. “I probably should have known better than to spring this on you, especially on your first day here,” he said apologetically. He always had been perceptive, and never beat around the bush. Hiro had always liked that about him. “But Hiro, I want to get to know you. I want to know  _ you _ , not just your younger counterpart. I saw you two walking by and figured there was no sense in waiting.”

Hiro blinked, stunned. That was… not what he was expecting. “Oh,” he said, fumbling over his words, “that sounds nice. Thank you, Inoichi-sama, I’m sorry about my jumpiness.” He wasn’t though, not really. His paranoia had saved him more than once.

“San,” Inoichi said, leading Hiro out the back door and locking the shop up from the outside. When Hiro looked at him quizzically, he said, “Drop the -sama. I’ve never been one for formalities.”

Hiro nodded mutely, and they walked the rest of the way in companionable silence. Inoichi had a very calming presence, which Hiro found funny considering he was the head of Torture and Interrogation. But this was the man that raised Ino, so it would make sense that he was as considerate as his daughter. Or, his daughter was as considerate as him? Fucking time travel.

They had barely opened the front door when a blur of blonde hair crashed into Inoichi. “Dad, you’re home!” Ino grinned up at her father, then her eyes flicked over to Hiro. “Is this the new shinobi that came in last night?” she asked, making no effort to lower her voice.

Hiro had to cough to hide his laugh. Of course Ino would know all about him within the first twenty-four hours. Judging by Inoichi’s wry smile, he was thinking along the same lines. “His name is Hiro, Ino,” Inoichi told her, “and he’s our guest for the evening.”

Ino stepped back to look at Hiro appraisingly. He took the opportunity to take her in as well. Maybe it was the fact that Ino had been alive the last time he saw her, or maybe he had just maxed out his emotional capacity for the day, but it was much easier to see Ino than it had been to see Team 9. Her blue eyes sparked with interest as she looked him up and down, and she flipped her blonde hair over her shoulder. “Shikamaru said that he would meet you before I did, because his father wanted to bring you over too,” she said. She checked her nails nonchalantly before shooting Hiro a wicked smirk. “I can’t wait to tell him he was wrong.”

Inoichi sighed, stepping past the two and heading to the kitchen. “You know, Ino, when I said he was a guest, I didn’t mean that he was a way for you to one-up Shikamaru. You’ll need to start working together, sweetheart, you’ll be on a team together soon enough.”

Ino’s smirk twisted into a frown. “He’s just so  _ lazy _ , dad,” she complained, “and all Choji does is eat! How am I supposed to work with them?” She threw her hands up in frustration.

Hiro couldn’t stifle a small laugh, and Ino’s gaze shot back to him. “Seems like a pretty serious problem,” he said lightly. “When is your graduation exam?”

“Next week,” she grumbled. “How am I supposed to change anything by next week?”

Hiro considered for a moment, then shrugged. “Well, who said you had to work together  _ perfectly _ from the time your team is formed?” he asked. “I mean, no team is going to work perfectly in sync from the get-go, especially not when you’ve just left the Academy.” He reached forward and flicked her bangs away from her face with a reassuring smile. “As long as you work hard and you’re trying, then you’re doing your part. Worry about the boys once you’ve all given each other a proper chance, yeah?”

Ino tilted her head to the side, considering. A small smile graced her lips, but she just shrugged and said, “Whatever, I guess you’re right; I can’t do anything about it now.” After a moment, she added, “Your braid is really messy.”

Hiro grinned. Blunt as ever, and he had forgotten how prideful she could be. “I did it pretty quickly this morning,” he confessed, “and I’ve been running around with Kakashi all day.”

A beat of silence, then: “Come with me.” She grabbed his wrist and dragged him to her couch, pushing him down onto it. “Don’t move,” she warned, before dashing away. She returned with a hairbrush and a bright smile. “I’m going to fix it,” she declared.

Something inside Hiro softened. She may not be  _ his _ Ino, but she was still Ino. “Go ahead,” he said, turning his back to her. Small hands quickly unraveled his long braid before she started running her brush through it. For the first time all day, his thoughts stopped spinning wildly, and he relaxed into the familiar routine.

Soon enough she was done, and she tugged his shoulder until he turned to face her. “Your hair tie was boring,” she said seriously, “so I gave you a new one.” She showed him the end of his braid, now tied with bright pink material. When he looked back at her, her eyes were sparkling with mischief.

A grin tried to steal across his face, but he forced it down, looking at her gravely. “No, no, this won’t do at all.” Her eyes dimmed slightly, but he continued quickly. “Pink clashes just horribly with my hair. I think we’ll need to find another color.”

And somehow, her sincere, delighted smile replaced all his pain with peace, if only for a moment.

Shadowed figures crept silently behind Yamanaka-sama and their target, watching them as they walked through the quiet streets. Every now and then they would speak softly to one another, but mostly they walked in silence. The first of the three operatives looked to his companions, signaling that they should move in closer.

They had been instructed to report his words as well as his actions, and he would not fail his assignment.

When they did get close enough to hear, however, the results were nothing particularly special. They were talking about Yamanaka-sama’s daughter, both smiling as they discussed her upcoming graduation from the Academy. At long last, they arrived at the target’s destination: the apartment building where his handlers lived. Yamanaka-sama said his farewells outside the building, rather than following the target to ensure he reached the correct apartment--current information indicated that he was living with Hatake.

They watched, tense, as Yamanaka-sama disappeared into the night and the target made no move to go inside. Then, to their shock, he turned right to where they were hiding and grinned, giving them a two-fingered salute and a wink. “Have a good night,” he said slyly before spinning and entering the building.

The first operative frowned; he didn’t understand how the target could have discovered their presence.

He needed to report to Danzo-sama immediately.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ROOT: yeah we can totally follow this kid without him noticing  
> Hiro: you tried :)
> 
> I promise that eventually there will be less pain and more general shenanigans. It's coming, Hiro just has a mountain of trauma that he's finally unpacking. I hope you enjoy this! Let me know what you think, and have a good week :) I'll see you next time!


	4. Hiro meets the squad

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back, folks! I still can't believe how many of you are enjoying this. I'm so glad! And hey, the whole posting-for-accountability thing is working--over the weekend I finished writing a chapter for the first time in two months. So really, thank you all for reading. Your comments are really helping me stay motivated, especially since midterms are coming up. But for now, I hope you enjoy the chapter! Alternate title: "Hiro, you need to get out more."

Okay, so maybe taunting the ROOT agents hadn’t been one of Hiro’s smarter ideas, but the opportunity was just too good to pass up. Besides, he was curious to see what they would do now that they knew he could sense any pursuers.  _ Your move, Danzo _ , he thought with vicious satisfaction, until the words caught up to him and he groaned, putting his head in his hands.

He had played way too many games of shogi with Shikamaru; he was starting to think like him.

But it had been a week and Hiro hadn’t been mysteriously attacked yet. He was still being followed by ANBU and ROOT agents alike, but it didn’t seem to bother them anymore that Hiro could clearly sense their presence. Well, maybe Hiruzen wasn’t too pleased, but that just made Hiro act more obvious than ever, sometimes waving, sometimes having one-sided conversations with them, and sometimes just staring at their hiding places while training. Messing with them was the most fun Hiro had had in months, quite possibly years, and he wasn’t about to give up his chief source of entertainment.

Thankfully, he had managed to avoid running into anyone else that he had known well before the war, giving him more time to actually let his emotions settle after the roller coaster that had been joining Konoha. A lot of that was due to the amount of time he had spent with the Yamanakas, though. He had actually spent a fair amount of time in the Yamanaka flower shop, spending time with whichever family member was manning the store that day. When it was Inoichi or, sometimes in the afternoons, Ino, they would take him back to their greenhouses. They would let him just wander around, soaking in the tranquility, but his curiosity soon got the better of him and he started asking how he could help. Though they had looked startled the first time, they were quick to show him what they were working on at the time. Plus, with his sensing skills, he could tell them if someone was waiting for them at the front of the shop.

“At this rate we should just start paying you like a part-time employee,” Inoichi mused one afternoon as they watered the plants together. “You’re here more than some of our other employees at this point, and it’s only been a week.”

Hiro smiled, shaking his head. “Inoichi-san, this is the most relaxing thing I’ve done in years. Even when I was a kid I loved plants, so I’m just coming back to an old hobby.” He examined the leaves on one of the more temperamental plants, checking for signs of disease or decay. Satisfied, he moved on. “Besides, I think Hokage-sama is going to start letting me go on missions soon. After that I’ll have my own source of income, and,” he frowned, “I won’t have as much time to spend here, either.”

Inoichi laughed at the frown on his face. “Well, you know you’re welcome here anytime even after you start going on missions,” he reminded Hiro. “I don’t think Ino would forgive you if you stopped coming completely. She likes having an adult who actually lets her boss them around.”

Hiro couldn’t help the smile that overtook his face. “Well, she does know more about the plants than I do,” he said gravely. “And it’s always a good idea to defer to the expert in the room. If I killed one of the plants in here, she might actually kill  _ me _ .” They spent a few more minutes working in companionable silence before Hiro asked, “Speaking of the kid, didn’t she have her graduation exam the other day? I haven’t seen her since it happened.”

Inoichi grinned, face lighting up. “That’s right,” he said proudly. “Actually, tomorrow’s the day they give out team assignments. She’s still upset that she’ll almost certainly be on a team with Shikamaru and Choji, but she’s handling it better than she was before.”

“She’s a good kid,” Hiro said fondly. “She’ll be all right. Besides, those boys need her, even if they would never admit it.” At Inoichi’s amused look he said, “And yes, I’m talking from past experience. Honestly, we were all hopeless. Ino was one of the only people that every person in our class would listen to--partially due to her volume, but she also just has a commanding presence when she wants to.”

Also, knowing the little gremlins the nine of them were as genin, it would just be highly entertaining to watch it all from an outside perspective this time. Especially since Little Me was usually at the center of the chaos.

A new chakra signature caught his attention. “Someone’s at the front,” he said. “But the chakra feels really familiar, so it might just be someone here for me.” Inoichi raised an eyebrow and Hiro rolled his eyes. “Yes, I know pretty much everyone in the village, I know. Familiar as in a person I’ve spent a lot of time around in the past week, Inoichi-san,” he clarified, exasperated.

Inoichi just grinned at him and put his gardening gloves away. “We’re pretty much done here for the day, anyway,” he said, turning to the door. “We can just head out then.”

Hiro sighed. It was so hard to get a significant reaction from this man. It wasn’t like he hid his emotions the way Kakashi always did, Inoichi was just a naturally calm person. It was a lot easier to tease Ino.

… If his first choice in friends was currently a twelve-year-old, he probably needed to get out more.

“Hiro!”

It’s like the universe heard him or something. Raidou was standing in the flower shop, leaning against the counter and grinning at him. “I’m here to steal you. We’re all getting together tonight to commiserate--congratulate!” he amended quickly, but the mischievous smirk didn’t leave his face. “Congratulate the new jounin senseis. And everyone wants to meet you anyway, so this is the perfect time--who knows the next time we’ll be able to get all these delinquents in one place at the same time?”

Yep. The universe had definitely heard him. The idea of meeting everyone at once was appealing, though; it would be easier that way. Not that he would have said no to Raidou either way. “You even managed to nail down Kakashi?” he joked. But he couldn’t deny that he was also curious. He knew Kakashi wasn’t as antisocial now as he had been in his ANBU days, but that had been a pretty low bar to get over. He hadn’t remembered Kakashi doing much with his friends unless it was a challenge with Gai, actually.

Raidou’s smirk grew. “Gai’s getting him.”

Ah, perfect. Hiro chuckled. “Smart. Out of all of us, he’ll be maimed the least. His speed is unbelievable. Maybe he’ll challenge Kakashi to a race to wherever we’re going, then he’ll grab him before he can leave.”

Raidou looked thoughtful, then snickered. “Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what happens.” He offered Inoichi a cheerful wave and grabbed Hiro’s wrist, pulling him out the door. “Now I want to be there before Gai is. I want to see this.”

When they arrived at the bar, however, it looked like they were the last to arrive. Raidou gave a dramatic sigh, shaking his head as he led the way inside. A general cry of greeting met them, and Hiro looked past Raidou at the group they had assembled. Gai and Asuma were loudly pestering Kakashi, trying to get him to have a drinking contest with them. Kurenai and Genma were talking at a much more reasonable volume, throwing amused and exasperated looks at the trio. Anko and Ibiki had stopped speaking the instant they walked in, eyes zeroing in on Hiro. Well, that didn’t take long.

“Good luck, see you later if you survive,” Raidou muttered, clapping him on the shoulder as he walked over to join Genma and Kurenai.

Before Hiro could take a single step, Anko had an ironclad grip on his wrist. “You’re coming with me!” she commanded, pulling him back to where she was sitting with Ibiki. After pushing him into a chair unceremoniously, she dropped back into her seat, and then just… stared at him. Neither she nor Ibiki were saying anything, just watching him.

With a sigh, Hiro settled back into his seat, watching them right back. If that was how they wanted to do this, he’d play along. If they thought they were going to intimidate him, though, they were in for a surprise. He relaxed his posture, turning to focus his gaze solely on Anko, whose smile was slowly growing the longer the silence continued. Hiro wasn’t going to speak first. It was clear she wasn’t either, and Ibiki just looked as impassive as he always did.

“Friends, Why Are You Not Joining These Most Youthful Festivities?” Gai exclaimed, having noticed their staring contest.

Anko hadn’t taken her eyes off Hiro. “Oh, just evaluating the fresh meat,” she drawled. “Can’t have any drinks or games to distract me before I’m done with him. Don’t worry, I’ll definitely catch up to you in your little drinking game soon enough.” After a few more moments of staring, Anko declared, “I like him. Ibiki?”

The scarred man just nodded, stoic as ever, and Hiro felt it was finally safe to look away. “I’m honored,” he said with a small smile. “Mind telling me your names, or is there another test I need to pass for that?”

At that, Ibiki let out a low chuckle. “Morino Ibiki,” he said, “and that one’s Mitarashi Anko.”

Hiro inclined his head to them. “Nice to meet you. I have a feeling you already know this, but I’m Uzumaki Hiro.” He saw the familiar flash of recognition in their eyes at the mention of his family’s name. “Just got to Konoha last week, so I haven’t met many people yet, but once the Hokage clears me to start going on missions I should see more of you all.”

“Well, not  _ all _ of us,” Anko said slyly. “After all, Raidou told you what we’re here to celebrate, right? If Asuma, Kurenai, and Kakashi are wrangling genin brats, I doubt any of us will see them much.”

“You make it sound like I’m leaving or dying or something,” Kurenai said with a laugh, sitting next to Anko. “I’m excited! This will be fun!”

“You say that now,” Anko warned. “You haven’t even  _ met _ the little nuisances yet. Who knows which brats you could be shackled to?”

“Comparing it to a prison sentence isn’t much better, Anko,” Asuma called from the next table. He lit a cigarette and took a breath. “And who knows? If there’s one thing genin teams always do, they surprise people. And there are a lot of Clan heirs in this batch, so it should be an interesting year, if nothing else.”

Anko waved her hand dismissively. “All genin brats are annoying. It’s practically a requirement.”

With that, Anko and Asuma jumped into a spirited debate about the normal level of ‘annoying’ for genin, and Hiro recognized that as his opportunity. He slipped away from the table silently, relocating to the calmest part of the group--predictably, Genma and Raidou. He slid into a chair between the two, pulling his braid over his shoulder, and smiled at them both. “Thanks for abandoning me, you traitor,” he said lightly. Raidou only laughed, the bastard. “You told me I was here to celebrate, not be interrogated.”

Raidou snorted. “That was no interrogation; they didn’t even ask you anything!”

Hiro turned to him, raising an eyebrow. “Are you kidding? I swear their eyes were staring straight into my soul. They don’t  _ need _ to ask questions to be fucking terrifying, Raidou.” He signaled behind the bar for a glass, then poured himself a glass of whatever Raidou and Genma had been sharing. He didn’t really care what it was--it wasn’t like he was going to get drunk anyway.

Raidou had glanced over his shoulder to look at the two, then choked on a laugh. “Well, scary or not, it looks like Asuma and Gai roped them into their drinking contest.” He gave the other two a wry smile. “I’m gonna go be their adult supervision. Wish me luck.”

As Raidou walked away, Hiro glanced over at Genma. “You aren’t going?”

Genma smiled at Hiro, taking the senbon out of his mouth to twirl it through his fingers. “Nah, I’ll let Raidou take this one. Sometimes I like watching the carnage from afar.”

Hiro struggled not to laugh. “Metaphorical or literal?”

“Usually both, unless they’re feeling remarkably restrained,” Genma responded. “Or unless Gai isn’t here. His ‘youthfulness’ takes drinking games to a different level. And he says Lee is bad around alcohol.”

Hiro hummed contemplatively, tapping a finger against his glass. “That makes sense. He goes all out in everything he does, and it’s even worse when Kakashi is around. So staying out of their way is probably a smart move.” He wasn’t used to seeing his teachers in this kind of setting. Honestly, when he was a kid Hiro hadn’t thought too much about what Kakashi did in his free time, except when he was theorizing about what was beneath his mask. He had known that Kurenai and Asuma were together, but that’s just because it was too obvious for even Hiro to miss it. And he had never really imagined Gai doing anything except doing laps around the village on his hands or something, probably with Lee in tow. But now he was seeing them as people rather than teachers.

“Hey, can I ask you something?” Genma’s fingers had stilled and he leaned against the bar, looking over at Hiro.

He just shrugged and mirrored Genma’s position. “Sure, I might not answer it though.”

Genma frowned, like he was trying to figure out how to say something. “I’ve been thinking about it all week, actually,” he admitted. “That first night, when you met the Hokage and told the rest of us about your past… were you using the Yondaime’s Flying Raijin then, too?”

Hiro grinned; that was one question he had no problem answering. He was always ready to talk about his father. “Yeah, I was.” He refilled his glass but kept it on the counter, fingers drumming against it. “It took forever to figure it out, too. Seals are complicated on a good day, but the Flying Raijin is on an entirely different level.”

“How did you?” When Hiro looked at him questioningly, Genma said, “Honestly, Iwashi, Raidou, and I have always wanted to learn how to do it on our own like he did, but we could only ever manage it all together. But you, last week, you were just like him.” His voice had softened, and he was wearing a smile when he looked back up at Hiro.

“Well, to be honest, I probably wouldn’t have figured it out on my own. At least, not as quickly as I did,” Hiro said, a rueful smile playing on his lips. He rubbed the back of his neck as he said, “I had a pretty significant advantage. Dad taught me sealing himself.”

Genma stiffened, eyes wide with shock. “But that’s impossible!”

“And I thought time travel was impossible, Genma, but here I am,” Hiro retorted, grinning. He sobered quickly, though. “He was one of the people brought back from the dead during the war. It was actually pretty soon after the very beginning. But Dad wasn’t like the ones under Madara’s control. Actually, Orochimaru brought back all four of the previous Hokage and brought them to help us.” He let out a bitter laugh. “That’s probably the only thing he ever did that I don’t hate him for.

“But since Dad wasn’t under Madara’s control, he taught me everything he knew about sealing. After all, sealing is a pretty handy skill to have during a war, especially one where the Edo Tensei was involved. So between battles, we’d train. Some of it was sealing, like I said, but he also just helped me train in general.” He smiled wistfully, looking back at Genma. “The Edo Tensei is fucked up, and should never have been created,” he said, “but it also gave me time with my Dad that I never would have had otherwise.” He shrugged. “Actually, you helped out too.”

Genma blinked, posture loosening only slightly. “I, wait, what?”

“I know you and the other two want to learn the Flying Raijin because you three told me before. We didn’t know each other well, we really just saw each other when we were with Dad.” Hiro could feel his heartbeat quickening and dug his nails into the palm of his hand to try to ground himself. It worked, not as well as he would have liked, but enough to keep him from hyperventilating in front of another one of his few friends.

Genma was silent for a few minutes, then huffed a small laugh. “That world of yours was something else.” He picked his senbon up again, and the weapon twirling through the assassin’s fingers gave Hiro something else to focus on. Slowly, his heart rate returned to normal, and Hiro took a deep breath, unclenching his fists.

“It’s okay, you know.” Hiro’s eyes shot to Genma, who was now watching him quietly. He hadn’t realized Genma had noticed how tense he was. Although, now that he thought about it, Hiro wasn’t exactly being subtle. “You’re allowed to be affected by everything you saw, everything you did. I lived through a war too--exponentially smaller in scale than yours, but I don’t know a single shinobi who lived through that war without some sort of PTSD. It would be a bit weird if you were totally fine, honestly.”

“You sound like Matatabi,” he said under his breath, before blinking in slight alarm. He hadn’t meant to say that out loud. Before Genma could ask him who that was, he asked, “How did you handle it?” He hadn’t meant for the question to sound as vulnerable as it did, voice quivering slightly. He looked down at the bar, suddenly afraid to look at Genma’s face.  _ Now he knows how weak you are _ , his mind hissed.  _ It was only a matter of time, really. _

“I feel like understanding myself was the only way I could have ever gotten through the time after the war,” Genma said thoughtfully. And Hiro was so confused he actually looked up for a moment, eyes flickering to meet Genma’s before they dropped to the counter again. “Like, I had to learn to tell when I needed some time alone, and when it was really important that I  _ not _ be alone. So friends helped a lot, too.”

Hiro turned his glass in his hand slowly, keeping his eyes fixed on the contents. It was a good idea, he can see how it worked for the assassin. But Hiro had been alone for the majority of his life. He hadn’t had a lot of practice actually  _ deciding _ when he wanted time alone. The closest he ever got were the times over the past two years when Hiro would gently put up a mental wall between himself and the Bijuu. That never lasted for long, though.

On second thought, it wasn’t that difficult to figure out that solitude wouldn’t be a good idea for him. He took a deep breath and met Genma’s eyes, giving him a small smile. “Thanks,” he said quietly.

Genma just nodded, before glancing over his shoulder. He then changed the subject, which Hiro was incredibly grateful for. “So who do you think is gonna win over there?” he asked.

“Anko,” Hiro said without hesitation. “She could probably drink them all under the table if she tried.”

An arm hooked around his elbow. Speak of the devil. “I knew I liked you. You know, Hiro, we were thinking,” she said, voice only a little bit unsteady. “None of us have any idea what you can actually do. We want to find out.”

“Don’t drag me into this,” Raidou called. “ _ You _ want to find out what he can do.”

“Oh, don’t pretend you aren’t curious,” Kurenai said, and her voice was slurring a bit. “He showed up out of nowhere after being listed in the Bingo Book for months--you want to know as much as we do.”

Hiro rolled his eyes good-naturedly, exchanging an exasperated glance with Genma. “Well, since you all seem to have this planned out, where and when will I be expected to perform for you guys?”

“Not tomorrow,” Asuma interjected. “I want to be there, but we have some kids to pick up.”

Hiro chuckled and shook his head. “Oh, no, we wouldn’t want you to miss anything. You know what? You guys decide, then just grab me when you’re ready to go. It’s not like I’ll have anything else going on.”

Anko gave him a catlike grin and left as suddenly as she had arrived. “Well, that didn’t take long,” Hiro remarked. “I was wondering when someone was gonna challenge me to a fight or something.”

A slow grin was spreading across Genma’s face, and he put his senbon back in his mouth, leaning back to watch the group continue their antics. “Try not to hurt anyone too badly, will you?”

“Eh, no promises.”

“Okay, spill. What’s wrong?”

Hiro had spoken as soon as he and Kakashi entered the apartment, tone brooking no arguments. “Maa, Hiro, nothing is--” he tried.

“Oh, bullshit.” Hiro cut him off. “You’ve been quiet even by Kakashi standards, and I can see it on your face.”

“You can’t even see my face.”

“Trust me, one eye is all I need,” Hiro retorted. “Kakashi, what’s  _ wrong _ ?”

Kakashi rubbed his hands over his face with a groan. “You never give up, do you?” He muttered. Hiro just gave him a bright smile in response. Kakashi dropped onto the couch with a petulant, “Fine.”

Hiro sat down next to him, but Kakashi didn’t speak at first. That was fine. Hiro could wait. He laced his fingers together and rested his arms on his knees.

When Kakashi finally spoke, it was so quiet Hiro almost didn’t hear him. “I don’t think I can do this.” Hiro must have made a sound of confusion, because Kakashi continued, slightly more emphatically. “I don’t think I can do this. Why do they insist on giving me kids to take care of? They never pass, anyway. And even if they do, what makes the Hokage think I would be a good teacher, a good protector? There’s no way I’m not gonna screw this up.”

Hiro let him ramble, eyes trailing casually over the wall across from them. Once he had determined that Kakashi was done, he sat back, unlaced his fingers, and lightly smacked Kakashi on the back of the head. Too bewildered to even be annoyed, Kakashi just sputtered at him. “What was that about?”

“You’re overthinking this,” Hiro said. “Kakashi, you are literally living with a guy who  _ proves _ you can be a teacher.” He raised his eyebrows at the silver-haired jounin. “You were my teacher, Kakashi, and I grew up just fine.” He paused. “Well, okay, I didn’t, but that’s because of the village and the war, not because of your teaching skills.”

“I don’t know the first thing about training genin.”

“No, you really don’t,” Hiro said nonchalantly. Kakashi’s gaze snapped back to his. “I’ll be honest with you. You had no idea what you were doing, and they gave you a really difficult team to manage. You were ordered to focus on one more than the other two, so my teammate and I kind of got neglected. I was sort of bitter about that for a while, but after a while you became one of my biggest supports.” He smiled fondly, remembering Kakashi laying on a wooden bench while Yamato made sure Kurama’s chakra didn’t get out of control.

“What should I do?” Kakashi’s question was quiet, but not as despondent as it was before.

That was an easy question. “Just don’t let them feel unwanted,” he said softly. “All three of them have had enough of that to last a lifetime, and they’re only twelve years old.” He looked at Kakashi and smiled. “You also have me. I’m not gonna disappear once you start training the kids. If you feel like you’re in over your head or you just need someone to bounce ideas off of, just tell me. Not every jounin-sensei has an adult version of one of their students to give them ideas for training!”

Kakashi laughed. “Okay, you got me there.” He was quiet for a few more moments, then said, “Thank you. For being honest.”

“Of course.” Hiro pushed Kakashi’s shoulder with a grin as he stood. “Now stop worrying so much and go get some sleep or something. Tomorrow you meet the gremlins.”

“Did you just call yourself a gremlin?”

“Yeah, I did. And I’d do it again. I mean, have you  _ met _ Little Me?”

And as Kakashi’s quiet laughter followed him down the hallway, Hiro thought that maybe this time, Team 7 would be all right.


	5. Accidental encounters galore!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again, everyone! I hope your week is going well. I got the second round of the COVID vaccine the other day and it took me down for a few days, but that made me weirdly productive today, so I decided to give y'all the next chapter! :) The alternate title of this chapter is courtesy of my favorite volleyball idiot, Oikawa Tooru: If you're gonna hit it, then hit it 'til it breaks!

As it happened, Kakashi _did_ manage to survive his first encounter with his new team. He even survived the first  _ week _ , which the silver-haired jounin had been seriously doubting by day three.

“Yeah, they’re ridiculous, and their teamwork is almost completely nonexistent,” Hiro said offhandedly one morning. Kakashi was about to leave to begin the second week of training--so, he was going to talk to the memorial stone and then watch them from a tree for a few hours before actually showing up--and Hiro had just finished making them both breakfast. It had taken Hiro about two days to decide that it would be best for him to handle cooking if he didn’t want Kakashi to accidentally poison him. “But they’re twelve-year-old brats right now. Even worse, they’re  _ competitive _ twelve-year-old brats. They’re just kids. Trust me, they can get better.” Privately, Hiro thought that would be pretty difficult to accomplish if Kakashi was so late to their training every day, but he’d fight that battle later if needed.

“Maa, of course they can,” Kakashi said flippantly. “I’m still wondering how I managed to get the most dysfunctional genin team of the year, though. Does the Hokage hate me?”

“Sasuke because you can help him with the Sharingan, me because you knew my dad  _ and _ hypothetically you could use the Sharingan to keep me and my Bijuu friend in line, and Sakura just had the terrible luck of being the third member of our team.” Hiro counted off each team member on his fingers. “But I agree, you got the short end of the stick here.”

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. “You realize you’re talking about yourself, right?”

“Of course I do,” Hiro said patiently. “You have to teach me, sure, but I had to  _ live _ with me. I knew how I could be.”

“Just checking.”

“Yeah, well, don’t worry,” Hiro said with a sigh, putting the dishes in the sink. “The point is, we’ll get better. We just need time.” And help. And a lot of therapy. But that last one wasn’t going to happen, so they’d have to make it work with the first two.

Anything Kakashi might have said was cut off by a loud banging on the door, so sudden that both of them jumped. “Uh, did you plan to have someone over as an excuse not to go to training yet?” Hiro asked, eying the door with trepidation. The knocking hadn’t stopped.

Kakashi just shook his head mutely, but then they heard a very boisterous, very familiar voice through the door. “Kakashi, My Eternal Rival! Hiro! I Have Been Sent To Retrieve You!”

Hiro sighed in relief. It was just Gai. And if he was getting both of them, it probably had to do with Anko’s idea to test his strength or whatever it was she wanted to do. He could handle that. Kakashi didn’t look nearly as appeased. “If it makes you feel any better, they’re going to be judging  _ me _ today, not you,” Hiro said, walking towards the door.

“Unless they decide to have me fight you.”

Hiro stopped and turned. “Wait, do you think that’s actually going to happen?” At Kakashi’s nod he hummed thoughtfully before whirling back around and continuing to the door. “Well, if nothing else, that will make things interesting,” he called over his shoulder, raising his voice to be heard over the noise made by their energetic friend. He swung open the door and gave Gai a small smile. “Hey, Gai, come on in. We’re almost ready to head out.”

“Of Course!” Gai flashed his signature grin and followed Hiro back into the kitchen. “Please, Take All The Time You Need! We Are Happy To Wait.”

“Somehow, I feel like you’re the only one who agrees with that,” Hiro said under his breath as he finished washing the dishes. He turned to Kakashi, who was still sitting at the table stubbornly. “Oi,” he said, kicking the leg of Kakashi’s chair. “Get moving. You may not care about starting training on time, but I doubt that Gai, Asuma, and Kurenai share your sentiments. Come on, let’s go.”

Kakashi groaned, but did as Hiro said. Five minutes later (which was impressive, actually, considering how good Kakashi was at finding ways to be late), they were out the door. “So, Gai,” Hiro said conversationally, sticking his hands in his pockets. “Kakashi said Anko might want me to fight him for my ‘test of strength’ or whatever we’re calling it. Was he right?”

Gai grinned. “Kakashi Is Most Perceptive!”

Hiro choked on a laugh. “Well, it looks like you were right, if that’s any consolation,” he said to Kakashi. Kakashi just looked back at him, unimpressed, which only made Hiro laugh more. “Oh, come on, you can’t honestly say that it won’t be at least a little fun punching me before you have to go deal with three twelve-year-olds.” The implied ‘you can’t attack an obnoxious, attention-starved genin but you can sure as hell attack his jounin counterpart’ was not lost on Kakashi, who smirked at him.

“Maa, you may be right. This may be the perfect way to start off my day.”

“That’s the spirit,” Hiro said, looking up at the sky. “You just have to look on the bright side of things.”

“Punching you in the face?”

“Yeah, if you can manage it, anyway,” he teased.

Obviously, Hiro was planning on holding back. He didn’t want to destroy any training grounds or grievously wound anyone, especially not his younger counterpart’s current teacher. This would be a test in control more than a test of his strength. Not that any of them needed to know that. Besides, Kurama and the other Bijuu knew how to regulate his power if he was ever going too far. It hadn’t happened often, but Hiro had needed the reassurance that there would be a failsafe if he ever lost control. Having nine insanely powerful chakra beings inside him with no seals holding them back tended to make contingency plans like that much more feasible. Even if the insanely powerful chakra beings were sort of why he needed a contingency plan in the first place.

Well, they weren’t the only reason. He wasn’t sure he knew how to just spar anymore. All he had known for years was fighting for his life. Against Madara Uchiha, the immortal Uchiha equivalent of a fucking god. Holding back had gone out the window long ago. How much power did normal shinobi use in spars? Who knew? Not Hiro. So, yeah. He trusted the Bijuu to make sure he didn’t accidentally kill someone.  _ He _ just had to convince them all that he was actually giving the fight his best effort.

Kakashi looked vaguely offended by the insinuation that he wouldn’t be able to land a hit on Hiro, but they reached the training grounds before he had the chance to respond. Naturally, everyone was there--Asuma, Kurenai, Anko, Genma, Raidou. Hell, even  _ Ibiki _ turned up. But he was surprised to see Inoichi and Shikaku standing next to Ibiki. “When we saw a group of Konoha’s elite jounin all get together this morning, we figured something must be going on, especially when it took Anko and Ibiki away from their jobs,” Inoichi said with a grin. “I hope for their sake that this is worth it.”

Hiro rolled his eyes without deigning to give him a response. Inoichi wasn’t fooling anyone. He was just as curious as everyone else was to see what a post-war Uzumaki Naruto could do. Well, whatever. Hiro had been watched his entire life for one reason or another. At least this attention wasn’t necessarily negative.

“Welcome, gentlemen,” Anko cried in greeting, smile widening. “We figured it would be the most educational to test you against one of the most dangerous of us all, Hiro, so if you would be so kind, spar with Kakashi for us?”

“If she’s trying to flatter me into willingness, she’ll be waiting a long time,” Kakashi muttered to Hiro, who snorted.

“Well, flattery or not, they at least agree that this will be entertaining,” Hiro responded under his breath. “I guess you could take that as a compliment.” Raising his voice, he called over, “Of course, Anko. We wouldn’t dream of disappointing you. Kakashi wouldn’t be able to live with himself.”

He spun away before the silver-haired jounin could retaliate, grinning mischievously at Kakashi as he backed into the training field. He shrugged off his jacket and tossed it to the side, leaving his arms bare. The seals on his skin nearly glowed in the morning light, and he caught more than a few shocked looks. Huh. He had forgotten that most of them hadn’t seen his arms yet. He sent chakra into one of the seals on his forearm, withdrawing a pair of fingerless gloves. They were modeled after Sakura’s. He may not use chakra to enhance his physical attacks like she did, but it was still useful to have gloves that could pack a solid punch. “You ready?”  
“If you’re done preening,” Kakashi shot back. His Sharingan was uncovered, which was gratifying to see. Honestly, Hiro would have been a bit offended if Kakashi had thought he could fight Hiro without it. Not that it would help too much--Hiro _had_ fought a war against not just any Uchiha, but The Uchiha--but it meant that Kakashi didn’t think Hiro was a pushover, so he really didn’t care.

Hiro snickered, and attacked without hesitation. And now that he was in the moment, attacking and blocking each other in turn, he realized how much he had missed this. Having the freedom to spar with a friend instead of fighting to the death. Dropping to sweep his leg under Kakashi’s, only to have him jump out of the way; easily evading a jab aimed at his throat; and the back and forth only continued.

When Kakashi clipped Hiro’s arm, he received a kick in the chest that sent him flying back. Except when he got up, he didn’t rush forward to re engage. Instead, his hands started moving, flying through hand signs almost faster than Hiro could see.

Hiro grinned, actually bouncing a little on the balls of his feet. Now this is what he had been waiting for. But he didn’t move yet; he wanted to see what Kakashi was planning.

And as lightning chakra shot towards him in the shape of a blade, his grin only widened. Kakashi was feeling him out. He wasn’t one of Konoha’s most feared jounin for nothing--he was smart to not rush into anything.

He could have dodged it, but he figured that if there was ever a time to be dramatic, it would be now. Might as well give them all a bit of a show. Hands blurring with the motion, he called his own chakra, and a wall of wind solidified in front of him, knocking the knife away. “Lightning is probably not the best element to use against me, Kakashi,” he called. And when he was dodging a fireball less than a second later, he laughed. “Now  _ that’s _ more like it,” he said under his breath.

Hiro shunshined away to avoid the next attack (this time the fire took the form of a dragon, and okay, that was really cool) and pressed a few fingers to a seal on his wrist. And suddenly, Kakashi had to create a wall of earth in front of him to avoid the slash of wind that came his way.

An attack which came from the dual tanto blades Hiro was now holding. They were humming with wind chakra, the familiar weight grounding him. And when Kakashi sprang from the ground beneath Hiro’s feet, he was already flipping back to avoid the attack. “You know, I’ve learned a lot of tricks with seals over the years,” Hiro said nonchalantly, now back to close-range fighting with Hiro’s blades crashing against Kakashi’s answering kunai.

“That’s nice, princess,” Kakashi ground out as they pushed away from each other. “Care to share with the class?”

“It’s funny, I feel like you were just trying to insult me, but the only princess I know is Lady Tsunade. I can’t think of a higher compliment.” He smirked as he tossed his blades into the ground, blades buried in the earth. “You know, sometimes you don’t need an elemental affinity to use the jutsu. You’ve just got to get creative.” He whipped a small seal out of his pocket. With a touch of chakra, the paper seal caught on fire, and then Hiro just had to run through the necessary hand signs. “Gale Wind Palm,” he said, and as wind blasted towards Kakashi, the small flame became a sheet of fire propelled by the wind chakra behind it.

Eventually Hiro had gotten tired of Sasuke’s fire jutsus being used against him every time they trained, so he had wanted a way to get back at him. Sasuke’s face had been priceless the first time Hiro managed it. Being the Number One Unpredictable Ninja definitely came in handy sometimes.

Hiro didn’t wait for Kakashi to counter the jutsu, instead grabbing his blades and running just behind the flames so he could take advantage of the smokescreen and use it as a cover for his attack. He couldn’t see, but he didn’t need to. He activated the jutsu and closed his eyes. It was actually better this way. Now he wouldn’t get smoke in his eyes trying to see. A kunai came hurtling towards him, but he easily sidestepped it, just as he flipped over the following kick.

He had forgotten how much he liked this particular jutsu. He usually relied on chakra sensing in Sage mode whenever he needed to track something. But in situations like this, where visibility is low and Hiro doesn’t have time to gather any Nature energy? This move let him follow the motions of the wind around him. With it, he could feel even the slightest movement. It was almost like he could ‘see’ his surroundings using the air around them.

It was very useful when fighting Uchihas. He couldn’t get caught in one of their genjutsu if he had his eyes closed for the whole fight.

Finding an opening in Kakashi’s defenses, Hiro sprang into action, ducking under a kunai and slamming the handle of one of his blades straight into the other jounin’s chest. Thanks to the wind chakra in the blades, a  _ little _ more air was knocked out of him at the impact, and he went down, Hiro on top of him. Feeling the smoke clear, Hiro blinked his eyes open and looked down at his sparring partner, who currently had a kunai at Hiro’s abdomen even as Hiro pressed a blade against his throat. Hiro felt a slow smile spreading over his face. “Now  _ that _ was fun,” he said, pushing himself to his feet and extending a hand to help Kakashi stand as well.

With raised eyebrows, the silver-haired jounin said, “I think your idea of fun is very different from literally anyone else’s.” Hiro could hear the humor in his voice, though, saw how the ever-present restless energy in his eyes had settled for a moment. The spar had been helpful for both of them, it seemed. Good. Hiro took a moment to seal his tanto blades back into his wrist before rolling his eyes at Kakashi.

“Oh, come on,” Hiro cajoled him, clapping his shoulder, “you can’t say that wasn’t even a  _ little _ bit fun.”

Kakashi huffed a laugh, shaking his head in defeat, but before he could respond a bright, loud voice yelled, “Sensei, that was  _ so cool _ !”

Hiro and Kakashi both froze. Slowly, Hiro turned his head to look at the spectators. The jounin looked impressed and (more importantly, in Anko’s case) very entertained, so that goal was achieved. Now they were talking amongst themselves, probably analyzing what the hell they just witnessed. But just beside Kurenai and Asuma, at the edge of the training field, Naruto was grinning with Sakura and Sasuke off to the side.

The sight of the original Team 7 hit Hiro with so much force he was surprised he didn’t collapse on the spot. This was his original team. Twelve years old, before everything went so drastically wrong--aside from Naruto’s fucked-up childhood and Sasuke’s family, anyway. Sakura was twisting her hair in her fingers, looking at Sasuke with hearts in her eyes. Sasuke, dark and brooding as usual, was staring straight at Hiro, sizing him up. And Naruto. Bright, cheerful, orange-loving Naruto. The playful kid Hiro used to be.

Damn, he actually used to  _ be _ like that. Sure, the loneliness was a constant that would never go away regardless of how many friends Naruto made, but this kid just had so much… hope in his eyes. He realized he was staring, but it was getting hard to breathe.

A gentle hand rested on his shoulder, and Hiro jumped slightly before turning to see Genma at his side. The jounin was wearing a reassuring smile, eyes full of understanding, but his tone was nonchalant when he said, “Well, the kid’s right. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen someone get the better of you like that, Kakashi!”

Kakashi muttered something about winning next time, and that along with Genma’s presence was enough to help Hiro breathe again. He laughed softly. “Hate to break it to you, Kakashi,” he said, quietly enough that only the three of them could hear, “but I was holding back. I decided that causing major property damage when I’ve only been here a week wouldn’t be the best idea I’ve ever had.” He pressed his lips into a straight line, then smiled slightly. “I’ve got to wait at least a month before I go around breaking shit.”

Genma laughed, hand slipping off Hiro’s shoulder to rest at his side. “How considerate of you,” he said, motioning for them to follow him over to the waiting group. “I’m sure Hokage-sama will appreciate your restraint.”

Hiro just hummed in agreement, and it seemed that Genma’s return broke everyone out of their smaller conversations, since their attention turned back to Kakashi and Hiro. “I guess you pass,” Anko drawled, wearing a catlike grin that sort of made Hiro feel like he was being hunted.

“Uh, I’m guessing that to get a glowing recommendation from you, I would have had to blow up the training ground or something. Am I right?” Hiro asked awkwardly.

“You got that right, Uzumaki.” Anko was entirely unabashed, just as expected. “Come find me when you’re ready to have some  _ real _ fun.”

Mentally, Hiro made a note to never allow himself to be caught alone with the woman. Then, in the background, he heard a quivering voice ask, “Uzumaki?”

Right. Anko had used his name. Right in front of Naruto. Nice. Well, now Sarutobi couldn’t be mad at him for meeting Naruto, at least. Before turning to the kids, he glanced at Inoichi. And he was going to buy Inoichi a bottle of his favorite sake, because the man somehow knew what he wanted immediately. “You know, aren’t there other kids that a lot of you are supposed to be training?” he asked dryly, raising an eyebrow at Asuma. “Like my daughter, perhaps?” Asuma, Kurenai, and Gai were gone almost instantly. “And Anko, I’m glad you had fun, but you and Ibiki do remember your  _ actual _ jobs, right?” Without giving her any time to come up with a quip, Ibiki grabbed her arm and started gently dragging her off the field.

Make that a  _ case _ of his favorite sake. “God, I love being friends with you, Inoichi-san,” Hiro sighed gratefully.

The blond just shrugged and started walking away, waving over his shoulder. “You good?” Genma asked softly, looking from him to what he presumed was Team 7, since he hadn’t let himself look again to check.

Hiro took a deep breath before giving Genma a tiny smile. “I will be, don’t worry. Thank you.”

Genma just nodded, and Raidou appeared next to him. “Next time you’ll have to fight Genma,” he said, shamelessly offering his best friend as a sacrifice. “I want to see how fast you can be.”

Hiro snorted. “Yeah, whatever you say, Raidou. Don’t you guys have places to be? Jobs to do? People to bother that aren’t me?”

Raidou just laughed and shrugged. “You got me there. See you later!” He shunshined away, Genma just behind him.

Hiro let out a slow, shuddering breath, taking a moment to compose himself before he turned back to face… himself. Fuck, that was weird. He donned an expression of simple curiosity and turned to face the blond, who was staring at him with blue, hopeful eyes. “Uzumaki?” Naruto asked again, quieter this time.

Hiro nodded. “Yeah, Uzumaki Hiromitsu, but just call me Hiro. You must be the genin that Kakashi is training! Did I make him late?” he asked apologetically.

“Sensei’s  _ always _ late,” Sakura said without hesitation. Sasuke gave a “Hn” in agreement, but Naruto was staring at him like Hiro was an oasis and Naruto was a man dying of thirst.

“Oh, is he now?” Hiro glanced at Kakashi out of the corner of his eye. The damn man had his book out, throwing him to the wolves without a hint of backup. Silver-haired bastard. “I just came to the village a little over a week ago, so I confess I don’t know many people yet. What are your names?”

In a rare moment of solidarity, Sakura and Sasuke glanced at Naruto, obviously letting him go first. Huh. That was already better than he was expecting. “I’m Uzumaki Naruto,” he whispered, eyes still wide.

Hiro let his brows furrow, looking at Naruto intently. “You’re an Uzumaki? I thought I was the only one left.” He brushed back a few loose strands of red hair that had escaped his braid during the spar. “No one told me there were any others in the village--waiting until they knew I could be trusted, I suppose.” But now he was rambling. His face softened and he smiled warmly at Naruto, stepping up to him. “Well, it’s nice to meet you, cousin. I’m glad you’re here.”

Naruto shot forward and wrapped his arms around Hiro’s middle, hiding his face in Hiro’s chest. Hiro just kept smiling and wrapped an arm around him in return, the other hand combing gently through his blond hair. “Now, don’t think I’ve forgotten you two.” He looked at Sakura and Sasuke, who straightened up in surprise. They had most definitely thought he forgot about them. “What are your names?”

“Haruno Sakura,” the pink-haired girl said with a blush, not making eye contact.

Hiro had a bit of a staring contest with Sasuke, who made no move to answer right away. The younger shinobi looked away first, glaring at the ground. “Uchiha Sasuke.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Sakura-chan, Sasuke-kun.” He didn’t let him smile waver. “I’m sure that since I know Kakashi and Naruto I’ll be seeing more of you. I look forward to getting to know you better. Now,” he said, tone turning brisk, “aren’t you supposed to be training right now?” He shot Kakashi a look, who pretended not to see even as he stowed his book away.

“All right, my cute little genin,” he said, famous eye-smile in place. “Hiro is right, off we go!” He began walking towards a different training ground with Sasuke and Sakura close behind. Naruto, however, wasn’t showing any indications of moving.

Gently, Hiro pushed the blond genin back, looking down to meet tearful blue eyes. “Naruto. You’ve got to go to training if you’re going to be a strong shinobi, and Kakashi is one of the best. He’s going to be a great sensei for you.” That did little to assuage the fear in Naruto’s eyes, and Hiro sighed. He figured this would be an issue. “Naruto, I promise I’m not going anywhere. I live in the village now, I’m a shinobi just like you and Kakashi and Inoichi-san. This is my home, and I’m sorry I didn’t know about you until today, but maybe you can help Kakashi show me around a bit more later. How does that sound?”

Naruto’s eyes lit up. “Really?” he asked loudly.

Hiro bit his lip to keep from laughing. “Really. I’ll see you later, I promise, but you’ve got to go with Kakashi and the rest of your team now. Besides, I have a feeling that training would be very boring if you weren’t there.” With one last blinding smile, the blond finally whirled around and sprinted after his team, leaving Hiro to wonder how the fuck he kept meeting people so unexpectedly. He took a deep breath. Granted, he was tired, but he did feel much better than he did after seeing Neji again. Having some time to get used to the village again had done him a world of good. He had also graduated from having a full-time companion to having a few ANBU tailing him, so he could at least pretend he was alone sometimes. Yeah, that hadn’t gone too badly.

“Have anywhere to be right now, Hiro?”

Once again, the universe loved proving him wrong. He had forgotten the last of the group that showed up to watch him fight. “Hi, Shikaku-sama,” he said tiredly, turning to face the jounin commander. If it was anyone else, he’d try to make his voice more energetic, but Shikaku would just see through it anyway, so why waste the effort? “What can I do for you?”

Shikaku rubbed the back of his neck with a sigh. “First, please never call me Shikaku- _ sama _ again. I’m not in the habit of using honorifics with people who could crush me with both hands tied behind his back.”

That startled a laugh out of Hiro. “Fair enough, Shikaku-san,” he said, marginally more relaxed. “But surely that’s not everything.” The Nara was clearly a man on a mission. Sure, his posture was relaxed, but his eyes speared Hiro’s like a hawk. Yeah, that definitely hadn’t been everything.

“Inoichi has been insufferable lately, telling me about how he’s gotten to know you, how you help out at the shop, how well you and Ino are getting on. It’s troublesome. I’ve been looking for you since you arrived anyway, wanting to invite you over, so now you’re coming home with me.”

“Uh, for a visit or for an interrogation?” Hiro wasn’t joking in the slightest.

“A game of shogi,” Shikaku said simply. “If you know how to play.”

“Mmm, both, got it.” Hiro ran a hand over his head. “Well, I guess I had nothing else planned. And Shikaku-san, we  _ both _ know that I wouldn’t have survived so many years with Shikamaru as my best friend without becoming at least slightly competent in shogi.”

Shikaku smirked. “Yeah, I figured.”

Like Inoichi, Shikaku didn’t see the point of small talk, so they didn’t really speak as they walked to the Nara compound. The nice thing about the Nara compound was its seclusion. It was near the edge of the village, since their woods extended beyond their homes, and as a result it was quiet, almost tranquil, as Shikaku led Hiro to his house.

Shikaku had only taken about two steps into the house, Hiro behind him, when the Nara said wearily, “Aren’t you supposed to be training?”

Well, that could only mean one person. God fucking damn it. Again, the universe loved proving him wrong. Watch if he ever said a day ‘wasn’t going that bad’ again. Taking every shred of composure he had, he forced his face into polite curiosity. And there he was. Shikamaru Nara, a miniature version of his father, complete with the bored expression. “Ino won’t stop talking about how she’s friends with the new jounin in the village, and it’s such a drag. Then Asuma wasn’t there for training this morning, and I saw you heading to a spar they watched between Kakashi and Hiro-san. I figured you’d take the opportunity to finally grab him and bring him here, and I wanted to meet him.”

Hiro… had expected it to hurt much worse than it actually did. Oh, it still definitely hurt. It still felt like someone had shoved a kunai into his chest, but he also felt something suspiciously close to relief. If anything, he felt a small weight lift off his chest. Maybe seeing Shikamaru alive was helping counteract his insurmountable guilt. And Shikamaru’s explanation made him snicker. Both Naras looked at him quizzically. “You two used the exact same reasoning, you know that? Getting tired of two generations of Yamanakas knowing more about someone than you.” Shaking his head, he laughed again softly.

Shikaku just sighed, but Shikamaru met Hiro’s eyes, gaze searching. “Hiro-san,” he greeted, shoving his hands in his pockets.

A small smile tugged at Hiro’s lips. “You must be Shikamaru, then,” he responded. “Ino’s told me a lot about you and your team. It’s nice to meet you, I’m Uzumaki Hiromitsu.” Shikamaru’s eyes narrowed at Hiro’s family name. He was looking Hiro over, clearly cataloging all of his features and, if Hiro’s right, comparing them to Naruto’s.

“Don’t look much like Naruto, do I?” he asked innocently, and Shikamaru’s hard gaze snapped back to meet Hiro’s. He bit his lip to keep from smiling; he had forgotten how much the Nara had looked after him while they were kids. “I met him this morning--it seems Kakashi and I put on more of a show than I thought. His whole team showed up.”

“So you didn’t know about him before today?” the boy asked slowly.

Hiro smiled sadly. “No, I had no idea. I thought I was the last Uzumaki alive. And if Naruto had passed me on the street I never would have realized he was an Uzumaki.” He kept explaining before Shikamaru could interrupt. “Most of the family looks like me, especially the skin and hair. Naruto’s actually the outlier here.” At Shikamaru’s slow nod, he smirked. “Any more questions, or is that enough to get you through training today?”

“I guess I’ll go,” Shikamaru muttered grudgingly. “Ino will be mad enough that I’m this late. It’ll be troublesome to make it any worse.”

“Go on, then,” Shikaku prompted him.

Shikamaru sighed and turned to the door, but Hiro called out to him just before he left. “And if you decide you need to know more about me to keep up with Ino, you can just find me and ask. No need to ambush me, kid.” Shikamaru just huffed, but Hiro saw a tiny smile before the boy headed out the door.

Hiro let the silence fill the room for a few moments before speaking. “So this is a tag-team interrogation, then,” Hiro said lightly. “Clever.”

Shikaku shrugged. “Nearly every day Yoshino complains about how much he takes after me.” He tilted his head to indicate for Hiro to follow him. Hiro knew the way to the shogi board better than he knew anything else about Shikamaru’s house. No one would disagree with Yoshino about the similarities between father and son. Even when Hiro was just watching a game between the two of them, the focus the game required was soothing. He got to forget about everything for a while--forget about the Akatsuki, Sasuke, the other Jinchuuriki, and all the responsibilities that were weighing him down, the people who were relying on him. The Naras had always treated him like a person rather than Kurama’s vessel, and for that he could never thank them enough.

_ Yeah, their friendship with you really turned out well. _

And  _ there _ was the pain. It had been muted before, somehow, in Shikamaru’s presence. But sitting across the board from Shikaku and watching him methodically set up the shogi tiles, remembering those days full of sunlight and contentment, brought it roaring back to the surface. Hiro’s breath caught, but Shikaku didn’t stop until the board was ready. “Ready?” he asked. When Hiro nodded, not trusting his voice not to break, he gestured for Hiro to move first.

For a few minutes the only sounds were the birds outside and the shogi tiles being moved around the board, and Hiro slowly let his guard down without meaning to.

So, of course, that was when Shikaku asked, “He came with you, didn’t he?”

All the air had been knocked out of Hiro’s lungs.  _ Idiot _ , he berated himself.  _ Did you think he wasn’t going to ask? He doesn’t pull his punches, he never has. _ Hiro had been reaching for one of his tiles but drew his hands back into his lap instead, as they were shaking too hard for him to continue the game anyway. Distantly, he felt Kurama trying to comfort him, help him calm down, but it didn’t do much. Somehow, Hiro remembered how to breathe, and he drew in a shuddering breath, eyes getting a bit blurry. He had to try a few times before he could get his voice to work. “Yeah,” he confirmed quietly. “Yeah, he did.”

“And he died, probably while you were being pulled back in time?”

Hiro closed his eyes, but couldn’t stop the tears that started rolling down his face. He clasped his hands together in an effort to control their trembling. “You needed huge chakra reserves to survive the trip,” he whispered brokenly. “ _ I _ was almost drained entirely, and I’m a fucking Jinchuuriki. When I woke up he was already dead.” His next breath sounded more like a sob. Would he ever stop reliving the memory of finding his best friend’s rapidly cooling body, of realizing Hiro was entirely alone once again?

His breathing was so shaky that he didn’t hear Shikaku stand up and move over to sit beside him. He jumped when a gentle hand landed on his shoulder. Hiro had to force his eyes open, to blink through the tears enough to look at him. Shikaku’s eyes were sad, but his expression was more compassionate than anything else. “Hiro,” he said softly, “my son’s death wasn’t your fault.” Hiro inhaled sharply, but Shikaku continued before the redhead could speak. “You showed us what happened just before you were pulled back, remember? You were protecting my son, you even used  _ yourself _ as a shield, and if you had done nothing he would have been killed anyway. It wasn’t your fault.”

He felt the Bijuu all rumbling in agreement, Kurama and Matatabi’s voices rising above the rest (Matatabi was also muttering something that sounded suspiciously like “Finally”). He put his face in his hands, trying to compose himself, but for a few minutes it was entirely hopeless. It had always been hard for him to stop crying once he started. After what felt like an unreasonably long time to Hiro, but was probably no more than five or ten minutes, his breathing began to even out. And through it all, Shikaku’s hand remained on his shoulder, a silent gesture of support.

His hands were still trembling when he pulled them away from his face, but it wasn’t nearly as bad anymore. He set his elbows on his knees and looked down, playing with his braid to give himself something to do. “Sorry about that,” he muttered.

Shikaku snorted. “Kid, don’t be. War spares no one, whether the pain be physical or emotional. You have nothing to be ashamed of.”

Hiro took another shuddering breath. Having this conversation with the Bijuu was helpful to a point, but hearing it from Shikamaru’s father was different. Hearing Shikaku say that his son’s death was not Hiro’s fault somehow felt more real, more liberating. He still felt the hollow emptiness that always came after thinking about his friends, Shikamaru in particular, but it was less potent than before. He felt lighter, and his hands finally stopped shaking. “Thank you, Shikaku, I think I really needed that.”

“Anytime, kid,” Shikaku responded, and he gently squeezed Hiro’s shoulder before letting go and standing up. “I mean that. You are always welcome here, and I really do need a new shogi partner.”

Hiro laughed weakly, looking up to meet Shikaku’s eyes--kind and firm, just like his son. For the first time, the realization didn’t rip through his heart. Hiro felt a smile growing on his face, small but sincere. “I would like that.”

Hiro just couldn’t catch a break.

He had just wanted a nice, quiet walk home. That was all he wanted. He had declined Shikaku’s offer to accompany him. Having some time to himself would be nice after the day he’d had. He was tired, he was drained, and he really just wanted to have some tea with Kakashi and go to sleep.

Which is why he  _ really _ wasn’t in the mood when he was cornered by Danzo and several of his ROOT agents. “Uzumaki Hiromitsu,” Danzo began. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Hiro had to tread carefully here. He couldn’t antagonize the man without a plan in place, and he hadn’t really thought much about plotting Danzo’s demise since his arrival last week. He was just trying to get settled in Konoha, damn it.

Internally, he and all nine Bijuu were on high alert. “Don’t let me rip him to pieces, please,” he requested. “It’s too early for me to deliberately attack him, no matter how much he deserves it.” They all agreed swiftly, so Hiro felt steady enough to raise his head and meet Danzo’s eyes--well, eye.

And it was a good thing he had his friends watching out for him, because unadulterated rage ripped through him as soon as he saw the hunger, the malice hiding in that uncovered eye. Kurama and the others were quick to suppress his chakra, and by some miracle Hiro somehow managed to keep his face and voice neutral.  _ Well, this is off to a good start. _ “Good evening,” he greeted. “You seem to know me, but I haven’t seen you around Konoha. Who are you?”

“My name is Danzo. I am part of the Sandaime’s council, and I help him make many of the important decisions in the village.”

_ Oh, you ‘help,’ all right _ , Hiro thought scathingly, but outwardly his expression didn’t change. “Oh, I see. It’s nice to meet you, Danzo-san. What can I do for you?”

A slow smile grew on Danzo’s face, reminding Hiro of a predator circling its prey. “No, my boy, it’s what I can do for you. You seem quite strong--I heard you took on Hatake Kakashi and won. That’s no small feat. And it seems you are also proficient in the art of sealing.” He nodded at the seals covering his bare arms. “I’m here with an offer.” He waited, presumably for Hiro to eagerly ask for elaboration.

Like he was ever going to give the man that satisfaction. His tone was colored with simple curiosity when he said, “Oh? Is the Hokage summoning me to instate me as an official shinobi of Konoha? I would happily go find him.”

Danzo was already shaking his head, giving Hiro a sly smile. “No, this is a more… personal offer,” he said smoothly. “You’re strong, but we must always strive to become stronger so we can protect what is important to us, yes?” He waited, but when Hiro didn’t respond he went on, not seeming at all put out. “I can offer you that power. I can offer you all the power you need. And with your seals added to my work, we can climb to even greater heights.”

Ah, so he  _ was _ after Hiro for his proficiency in sealing.  _ Over my dead body _ , he thought, fury simmering as he thought about Danzo’s role in the Uchiha massacre, ROOT, his attempts to get control over Naruto, all of it. He simply raised an eyebrow. “Danzo-san, I’m flattered that you think so highly of me, but unfortunately I can’t accept your offer. I’m not looking for more power. I just want to make Konoha my home.”

Danzo’s smile finally slid off his face. Hiro felt a vicious stab of satisfaction at the flare of annoyance in his eye. “How do you expect to make Konoha your home if you cannot protect it?”

Hiro sighed. “You seem to think that not only do I want to be stronger, I  _ need _ to be stronger. I would respectfully disagree.” Some days he wished he had  _ less _ power. He would never want more.

“Are you so arrogant that you think you have nothing left to gain?” Danzo said disdainfully. “Be careful that your pride does not blind you, Uzumaki. You do not want me as an enemy.”

Now, Hiro had been called many things in his life, but prideful was not one of them. First time for everything. Also, Danzo of all people had no right to go around talking about the dangers of pride. Hiro widened his eyes and masked his anger with shock. “What? Make an enemy of you? That wasn’t my intention at all.” Usually Hiro felt at least slightly guilty when he lied to someone. Danzo was an exception.

Hiro ducked his head as if embarrassed. “I know that I have much to learn, and that I could be stronger than I am.” Once again, he met the man’s eyes. “But I am happy with where I am at. I have spent years training and honing my body to protect my loved ones, just as you say. But training is useless if you don’t live a balanced life. It’s time that I focus on friends and comrades for a while.” They stared at each other, unblinking. It was somewhat gratifying that Danzo broke eye contact first. “Actually, a friend is waiting for me to get home. I don’t want them to worry; I’m already pretty late. If that’s all, Danzo-san?”

The older man’s one visible eye narrowed into a glare. “Don’t think this conversation is over, Uzumaki,” he warned. “I hope you will reconsider my offer. You never know when danger may strike.” And with that ominous almost-threat, he and his ROOT agents slid silently into the shadows from which they came.

Hiro sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. Three unexpected, incredibly stressful encounters in the same day? He wasn’t sure how his luck could even  _ be _ this bad. But he didn’t even try to kill Danzo a single time, so that probably counts as a win. “Thank you,” he whispered internally, the Bijuu responding fondly with different variations of “You don’t have to thank us, you idiot.”

He was so grateful for his friends.

Hiro frowned.  _ Speaking of friends… _ Hiro quickly pinpointed the chakra he was looking for and jumped into a nearby tree to meet the ANBU following him before they had time to move back. “Sorry, guys,” he said sheepishly, “I know I’m not really supposed to acknowledge you or anything, since you’re here to watch me. And I’ve been ignoring that because I like messing with people, but I try not to get you guys involved in my decisions. But, uh, did you hear what Danzo was saying?”

There was a beat of silence before both slowly nodded. “And that wasn’t sanctioned by the Hokage or anything? This wasn’t a test to look at my decision-making skills or loyalty to the village or something, was it?”

“No,” the disguised voice of the first ANBU responded. “We have heard nothing from the Hokage about any test of the sort.”

Hiro smiled grimly. “Right, that’s what I thought. Just wanted to cover all my bases.” He was about to take a pretty big gamble, and he knew it was risky, but he also knew who these shinobi were under their masks. If anyone in ANBU would listen to him, it would be them. “I know how this is going to sound, but will you please not tell him that Danzo stopped me?”

Both shinobi startled, staring at Hiro. “Why?” the second asked, voice hard.

Hiro gave him an understanding look, not offended by his suspicion. “Because he didn’t technically do anything that would arouse suspicion. You only know what the tone of the meeting was because you were here when it happened. But there’s nothing to prove that he was going against orders or breaking the law in any way. And,” he paused and grimaced. Here came the gamble. “I don’t want him to think anyone’s suspicious of him. He already seems like a paranoid son of a bitch,” that drew a laugh from the second agent, “and I don’t want him to get rid of any proof he  _ does _ have laying around.”

“So, you don’t want Danzo to suspect that you’re watching him,” the first said slowly.

“Yes.” These people had no real reason to trust him, but hopefully their distrust of Danzo would override that. “I know what I’m asking of you, and I’m sorry. In a way, I wish you hadn’t been here so that I didn’t have to drag you two into this. But that guy?” He shuddered, and now he wasn’t pretending at all. “I’m a pretty good sensor--that’s how I knew exactly where you two were--and that man’s chakra just feels dark and twisted. And if he told me he’s on the Hokage’s council, I can’t just let this lie.”

“Why do you care so much?” the first asked curiously. “You haven’t been in the village long, and you haven’t even been officially made a shinobi. Why go to such lengths for Konoha?”

“Because once before I made the mistake of doing nothing, and someone manipulated the man I considered a brother until there was nearly nothing left of his humanity. And now my brother is dead, because I didn’t do enough.” His voice hardened. “Danzo’s chakra feels just like that man’s. I don’t care how long I’ve been here. I won’t make the mistake of simply standing by a second time.”

For a moment, no one moved, no one spoke. Even the leaves seemed to stop moving. The ANBU looked at each other and seemed to have a wordless conversation, which was pretty impressive considering they were both wearing masks. Finally, the second nodded. “We’ll help you,” he said. “We won’t tell anyone.”

Hiro exhaled heavily in relief. “Thank you so much. You don’t know how much your trust means to me.” He smiled at them, hope and regret mingling together in his mind. “I guess I’ll go back to pretending I don’t know you’re following me, so you two can do your job properly.”

Both shinobi laughed this time. “I’m glad we got the chance to talk to you, Uzumaki-san,” the first said. “You’re different than I expected.”

“I get that a lot,” Hiro said with a smirk. “And call me Hiro, assuming I ever talk to you again. Have a good night!” He dropped to the ground before they could respond. And as he walked back to Kakashi’s apartment, he felt just a little less lonely. He knew he could never replace the friendships he lost, and he didn’t want to. But he could forge new friendships with those people; he didn’t have to be alone.

And, well, Yugao and Tenzo were a pretty good place to start.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thankfully my boy Hiro doesn't actually break, but everyone really looked at him today and said "He looks way too emotionally stable. Let's fix that."
> 
> As always, I love to hear your thoughts--it makes my day! And thank you all for reading, I can't tell you how much your support means to me <3 see you next time!


	6. Who's that Pokemon? (A wild Uchiha appears!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just accidentally wrote what is probably the most ridiculous and weirdly lighthearted fight scene of my life, and I wrote it to a literal '2000s Emo' playlist on Spotify. You'd think that middle school flashbacks would make my writing more angsty, but no. Apparently I write angst best while listening to T Swift. Hiro just vibes with Linkin Park, I guess.
> 
> Also, I realized I forgot a VERY important tag--this is gonna have a happy ending, y'all, regardless of how hard it'll be to get there. Just gotta let you know that haha
> 
> As always, thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Hiro was bored.

It had been more than a week since his day with Kakashi and Shikaku, but he hadn’t been cleared for missions yet. So, he didn’t really have anything to do.

He wasn’t good at sitting still.

He woke up early again one morning, the sun barely rising. He dug his fingers into the sheets below him, breathing slowly. God, he hated these nightmares. The people changed, the time and place changed, but the one thing that didn’t was death. The day hadn’t properly started, and the streets would be nearly deserted, so Hiro threw his hair into a high ponytail rather than a braid (still using the purple hair tie Ino had given him, of course) and headed to the rooftops.

For a moment he stilled, closing his eyes. The fresh air was already helping, which was just what he had been hoping for. Taking another slow breath, he ran across the rooftops, unsure of where his feet were really taking him. He was just going by muscle memory at this point--his mind was still a bit too checked out to consciously decide where he wanted to end up.

When he opened his eyes again, he was in the trees surrounding one of the training grounds. Hiro smiled. Of course his body had taken him here; he was a training maniac when he was younger, after all. Old habits die hard.

But no one was there, the sun was still hardly over the horizon, and Hiro figured he had a while before he would have to move. Sitting against the trunk, he smiled and began to meditate, opening himself to the nature energy around him. He worked to make his breathing even enough for it to synchronize with the tendrils of nature energy he was pulling and releasing. It was his favorite way to meditate; working so his breath and the nature energy flowed in tandem. It was almost as if he was joining the natural energy, being welcomed into that plane that, for once in his life, he had mastered. It was like an old friend, a comforting blanket, untainted by the memories that plagued Hiro day and night. It cleared his mind, not by pretending those memories didn’t exist, but by helping him gain control over his mind rather than being controlled by it.

After a while he dropped into his mindscape. It had been a while since he had properly spent time with his Bijuu friends. Most were off keeping themselves entertained, usually by bothering each other, and the only one sitting near him was Kurama. He bounded over to his friend, locking his arms around one of the fox’s forelegs. Kurama grumbled but didn’t pull away; Hiro knew that he didn’t really mind. “You’re in a good mood today,” the fox commented blithely, but Hiro could see the curiosity in his eyes.

“Oh, I’m meditating right now. You’d know that if you paid attention,” he teased gently, receiving a light shove in return. It knocked him onto his back, but one of Kurama’s tails was behind him to soften the impact.

“You think I want to watch you all day?” Kurama rolled his eyes. “Kit, that would be boring as hell. We all tune in when something exciting happens, or your emotions or chakra spike, or something like that.”

“I know, I know,” Hiro responded, simply laying on the proffered tail instead of getting up. “I really don’t blame you, I’m bored too.” That earned a snicker from his Bijuu friend. “Hey!” he exclaimed, his laughter ruining any attempt at indignation. “It’s not like I have the option to just tune out of my life when it gets boring! Show a little sympathy here.”

Kurama tilted his head, watching Hiro for a few moments. “No, I don’t think I will,” he finally responded, grinning at Hiro. “It will build your character.”

“Build my character?” Hiro repeated, disbelieving. “Where did you hear that? Some self-help book Shukaku gave you after finishing it?” His smile widened at Kurama’s silence. “Oh, I’m  _ right _ , aren’t I? I guess that if this helped for you, it is only fitting that I follow the expert’s advice here,” he teased, hiding his face before Kurama could smack it with another tail.

“Oh, shut up, brat,” he said, but the words held no heat. “I don’t think you get to talk about me being royally fucked up when you’re just as bad.”

Hiro considered that for a moment. “Okay, you got me there. So we make a good team because we’re both emotional disasters?”

“I don’t know if I would say  _ disaster _ …” he began, but broke off, staring into the air above where Hiro was sitting.

“Uh, Kurama?” Hiro gave his tail a little shake. “You okay, buddy? Hey!”

Kurama’s eyes snapped back to Hiro’s, face utterly serious. “Kit, you need to leave your mindscape and suppress our chakra,” he demanded.

“Whoa, wait!” Hiro blinked a few times, standing up. “I mean, sure, I’ll do it, but why do I need to?”

“Because your little blond hurricane is almost here and I don’t want the past version of me to react to you!”

Hiro’s mind stopped. “Ah,” was his intelligent response. “That would be a problem.” He sighed. And here he thought no one would come close to him. “Okay, do I need to turn on any of my seals to help suppress anything?”

Kurama thought about it, then shook his head. “No, it’s nothing that serious. My past counterpart shouldn’t be able to feel any of us unless you’re in your mindscape or using our chakra. So just avoid that around your kid and you’ll be fine.”

With a nod, Hiro opened his eyes just in time to hear a loud, excited voice call, “Hiro-san! Hiro-san!”

Hiro smiled indulgently and rolled his shoulders before dropping to the ground in front of Little Me. He had forgotten just how  _ bright _ he was at this age, with the blond hair and the orange jumpsuit and his blinding smile. “Good morning, Naruto-kun. On your way to training?”

Naruto nodded so enthusiastically it was a wonder his head didn’t just come off. “Yeah! Kakashi-sensei is always late, though.”

Hiro rolled his eyes good-naturedly. “Of course he is. That does sound like Kakashi. So what do you do while you wait?”

Naruto’s smile dimmed a bit. “Well, Sasuke-teme doesn’t want to practice with me and Sakura-chan just wants to talk to Sasuke, so I guess I don’t do much of anything.” The last part was mumbled so quietly Hiro almost didn’t hear it, shame coloring his tone.

“Hey, none of that,” he chided gently, dropping a hand on the kid’s head. Naruto looked at him and blinked in surprise. “You’re clearly trying, it just sounds like your group dynamic needs a bit of work.”  _ Or a lot of work _ , he thought.

Naruto brightened again. “Wow, thanks, Hiro-san!” He hesitated for a moment, fidgeting, before asking in a rush, “doyouwanttocomemeetmyteam.”

Hiro smiled. “Slow down, kid, I couldn’t understand what you were saying. What do you need? I promise I’m not going to laugh or anything.”

He took a moment to steel himself, then said, quietly but more clearly, “Do you want to come meet my team?”

Oh. Come meet his team. Seeing Sasuke and Sakura.  _ Talking  _ to Sasuke and Sakura. Well, this was going to be fun. It wasn’t like Hiro would have rejected Little Me, though. He was going to give this kid all the love and attention that Hiro never got, damn it. “Sure, why not? It gives me something to do this morning.”

Naruto was literally bouncing in excitement. He bounded forward and took Hiro’s hand, dragging him off, as if Hiro would disappear if he let go.  _ He probably  _ does _ think I’ll disappear, _ Hiro mused.  _ I certainly would have thought so. No one ever sticks around. _ Hiro shook his head slightly to bring his attention back to Naruto, who had been chattering away cheerfully and thankfully hadn’t noticed his inattentiveness. Hiro let the enthusiastic voice wash over him, content to let Naruto drag him wherever he wanted. As they drew closer, though, Hiro recognized the bridge that Kakashi usually had them meet at. It had some trees nearby that were particularly good for spying on moody genin.

Naruto let go of Hiro’s hand to sprint ahead of him, calling, “Sasuke! Sakura-chan! Look who I brought!”

“What are you yelling about, dobe?” a sullen voice snapped. Hiro put his hands in his pockets and strolled forward. Sasuke looked incredibly annoyed, but after knowing him for a while Hiro had decided that he just always wore that expression. He was standing off to the side, pointedly ignoring Sakura as she stared at him with hearts in her eyes. He looked up at Naruto’s shout, and narrowed his eyes when he saw Hiro, glancing between Naruto and Hiro as if he was missing something.

Meanwhile, Sakura was twisting strands of pink hair in her fingers, completely entranced by Sasuke, but at Naruto’s shout she too turned to glare at him. “Naruto, stop it, who cares who--” She broke off as Hiro came into view, blinking a few times as if to make sure that her eyes weren’t playing tricks on her. After staring at him for a few moments, Sakura rounded on Naruto. “Baka, why did you drag your poor cousin to our training? Did you force him to come?” She raised a fist, and in a flash Hiro remembered how often he had been on the receiving end of those punches. A flare of annoyance flickered to life in his chest.

Before her fist could make contact with Naruto’s head, Hiro shunshined between the two and grabbed Sakura’s wrist with ease, gently pushing Naruto behind him. “I’ll thank you, Sakura-chan, not to physically assault my cousin,” he said, tone kind but unyielding. “Especially on false assumptions.”

Standing apart from the group, Sasuke was trying to look like he wasn’t paying attention, which just made his interest more obvious. Sakura, for her part, was staring up at Hiro with wide eyes. “I--I--” she stammered, completely frozen.

Hiro sighed and let go of her wrist, stepping back so Naruto was once again by his side. The blond boy was looking at Hiro with something akin to awe. “Naruto and I ran into each other on his way to training, and he invited me to come and officially meet his teammates.” He raised an eyebrow at her, and she flushed in embarrassment. He stopped suddenly when he processed her words again. “Wait,” he said, unable to hold back a laugh, “wait, hold on. Do you  _ really _ think that any of you squirts could force me to do  _ anything? _ ”

Now Sakura looked stricken, but Hiro was only laughing harder now, and he sat down on the bridge, motioning for the others to join him. Sakura and Naruto sat down immediately. Sasuke, predictably, did not. No, now he was glaring at Hiro, seemingly offended by the insinuation that the redhead was stronger than them. Which, naturally, only fueled Hiro’s laughter more. Finally, he composed himself and grinned at the kids, receiving a sunny smile from Naruto and a more hesitant one from Sakura in return. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to insult any of you, that was just really funny. If you really think any of you could take me on, even as a team, you clearly don’t understand how strong jounin are,” he said good-naturedly. Okay, so  _ technically _ he wasn’t actually a jounin yet. Or a Konoha shinobi. But considering he had beaten Kage in battle before (reanimated, but still), he figured he could safely put himself in the jounin category.

“How are you so sure?” Sasuke asked, tone and stance combative. He had moved closer, but apparently only so he could argue with Hiro. Hiro wasn’t exactly sure why he was so hung up on this. It’s not like anyone  _ expects _ a team of genin to take on a jounin and win. “How do you know you’re that good?”

Okay, when the kid started to sound like Danzo, it was time for an intervention. Hiro stood and moved over to the Uchiha, lowering his voice so only Sasuke could hear him. “Sasuke-kun, this is nothing against your abilities,” he said matter-of-factly. “I’ve met a few Uchihas, usually ended up fighting them, and they’re no pushovers. I have no doubt you’ll be the same way.” Sasuke narrowed his eyes suspiciously, unsure why Hiro seemed to be complimenting him. “They are, without a doubt, the strongest people I’ve ever had to fight. But,” he said quietly, making sure Sasuke’s eyes were locked on his, “none of them managed to take me down.”

Sasuke looked like he was about to argue, probably to say that he wasn’t like the other Uchihas or something along those lines, and Hiro wasn’t in the mood to entertain any of that. He had faced enough of that attitude the first time around. “I know how it feels, you know,” he said. “Losing everyone.”

Sasuke started, and for a moment shock colored his features before twisting back into the normal anger. “How could you possibly--” he snarled, but Hiro cut him off.

“Sasuke,” he said calmly. “Because I have. Lost everyone, I mean. I had to watch my family die in front of me, and there wasn’t anything I could do to save them. I had already tried everything I could, but it still wasn’t enough.”

Sasuke looked at him, anger slowly bleeding into quiet contemplation. “Did you at least get him?” the kid asked, eyes boring into Hiro’s. “Did you get the one who killed them?”

Hiro gave him a pained smile. “No, I never did. I never stopped fighting for the people I had left, but I never managed to take him down.”

“So is that why you came to Konoha?” he asked. “So you can get stronger so when you see him again, you’ll win? You’ll avenge your family?”

Truthfully, it had been tempting to immediately go after Madara and make sure he stayed dead this time around. It had been tempting to go after Obito and beat some sense into him a few years early. Needing the Konoha shinobis’ help to beat the Akatsuki was likely true, but it wasn’t the only reason he had finally decided to come to the village. He still meant what he had told Nagato all those years ago:  _ Someday I’ll break the curse. If there’s such a thing as peace, I’ll seize it. _ He didn’t want to let Nagato down, let  _ Jiraiya _ down, yet another time. He wanted to do this right.

“No,” he said quietly. He leaned a little more against the railing of the bridge. “No, if I ever see him again I will do my best to protect the people I love, but I’m not going to go after him.”

“Why not?” Now Sasuke sounded indignant, but thankfully not enraged--yet, anyway.

“Because what would that solve?” Sasuke blinked, taken aback, and Hiro shrugged. “Revenge doesn’t bring back the people we lost. It just perpetuates a cycle of hatred that will lead to even more violence. Someone has to break the cycle of violence, so I thought, why not me?”

“But how can you  _ say _ that?” The question burst out of him as he stared at Hiro uncomprehendingly. “It doesn’t matter if it doesn’t bring anyone back. He killed your family! He deserves to die!”

Well, something told him they weren’t talking about Hiro anymore, if they ever really were. “Truthfully, I’m tired of hatred, Sasuke.” He looked at the dark-haired boy wearily. “I’m not here to get stronger, or more powerful, or anything like that. I just want a home.”

“Then you don’t understand at all!” Sasuke spat, anger returning in full force. “I need to avenge my clan, the people I loved, and if you can forget your family so easily then you could  _ never _ understand--”

Forget his family? Sasuke didn’t realize that Hiro carried them all with him every day. Their weight on his shoulders, their blood on his hands. But now they were going in circles. It was time to redirect the conversation. “I know Itachi, you know,” he said conversationally, and caught a genin’s wrist for the second time in ten minutes as a fist flew towards his face. He raised an eyebrow at Sasuke, who was breathing hard. “Really? And here I thought we were having a conversation, not a fistfight.”

“Never mention that man’s name in front of me.” Sasuke’s voice was no less venomous.

Hiro sighed. Sasuke was just as volatile as he had always been. When he began talking to the kid he had tried to avoid as many bombshells as he could, navigate the conversation tactfully, but Sasuke was a fucking minefield. There was no way to avoid an explosion. “Look, Sasuke, I’m never going to tell you that your anger is unjustified. Your brother killed everyone in your clan in a single night, and made you relive it.” He pressed his lips into a flat line. “That’s the one part of all this that I could never understand. Making you watch, unable to do a thing. Talk about fucking trauma, Itachi, goddamn. There are other ways to get a point across.” He brushed back a few strands of hair, a wan smile on his face. “Just talking to that boy tired me out, Sasuke. He’s dramatic as hell.” The Uchiha clan was a fucking madhouse. That was the conclusion Hiro had eventually come to. It hadn’t helped that Sasuke and Obito had both agreed with him.

He finally looked down at Sasuke, who seemed too shell-shocked to dredge up any more anger. Hiro simply waited, knowing Sasuke would speak when he was ready. He looked across the bridge to make sure that the silence from the other two kids wasn’t because one had killed the other. But, no. They looked uncomfortable, obviously not really knowing how to talk to each other, but that was fine for now. They could learn.

“What do you mean, there are other ways to get a point across?” Sasuke asked slowly. He looked at Hiro searchingly, as if he could discover all Itachi’s secrets by staring at the redhead hard enough.

“The idiot wanted to motivate you to get stronger and be ready to face any enemies that might come after you, so he decided the best way to do that was to make you watch his murder spree then tell you to kill him as revenge. Isn’t he supposed to be a genius?” Honestly. Uchihas. Hiro would never understand them. “Granted, he probably wasn’t thinking too clearly that night,” he conceded. “A lot had happened by that point.”

“A lot had happened?”

“Yeah.” Hiro hadn’t meant to tell the boy so much in one go, and definitely not one morning on a bridge while waiting for training to begin. “But Sasuke, please just try to think about whether revenge is really the best path to take. And not just what will bring justice to your clan, but what will be good for  _ you _ .” Sasuke flinched, looking at Hiro like the man had punched him. But Hiro could see the wheels spinning in his mind. The kid was starting to think. Not spiraling in his own rage and bitterness. It was real, honest-to-God critical thinking. If that wasn’t a miracle, Hiro didn’t know what was.

“What kind of ending is that?” Sasuke sounded more confused than anything else. “What does that even  _ mean _ ?”

Hiro shrugged and ruffled the boy’s hair, ignoring his growl of annoyance. “Well, it’s not the ending at all,” he said lightly. “But ‘sleep on it’ is a common phrase for a reason.” He smiled down at the Uchiha as he stood. “Now, if Kakashi isn’t going to show up on time, I can show you all something. What do you say?”

After a long beat of silence, Sasuke nodded hesitantly. He walked the boy over to his teammates, sitting in between him and Sakura. This whole meeting had been hard enough without making Sasuke sit right next to the pink-haired girl. That was a problem for another day. “Okay, kids,” he said, slapping his hands onto his thighs. “I crashed your meeting this morning, so I think it’s only fair that I teach you all something.”

Three wide, excited sets of eyes met his gaze. “Really?” Sakura squealed, and Hiro was just happy to see her enthusiastic about something that wasn’t Sasuke. “What is it?”

“Have you been tested for your chakra natures?” he asked. All three shook their heads, looking slightly confused.

“What do you mean, chakra natures?” Naruto asked loudly. “What are they, Hiro-nii?”

He had to work not to jolt at the new form of address, but he managed it. “You know how there are different kinds of ninjutsu, right?” he asked the blond. He nodded emphatically, and Hiro continued. “Well, all shinobi have a specific type of chakra that they can use more easily. The jutsu you learn from your element are more powerful than jutsu from other elements. You can still learn jutsu from the other elements, they just won’t be as powerful as your primary chakra nature. Most shinobi have one, but some have two or, very rarely, three.”

He moved his fingers to the skin just above his elbow, tapping the seal there and drawing out a stack of paper. Thankfully he always kept chakra paper with his sealing supplies. All the genin stared. “How did you do that?” Naruto was bouncing again, eyes alight.

“What, did you all think these were just for decoration?” Hiro teased gently, gesturing to the seals covering his arms and hands. “These are all functioning seals, a bunch of different kinds. Maybe another day I can teach you all about sealing.” They all looked intrigued by the idea, but Naruto in particular was staring at Hiro’s arms with a rare intensity. Hiro’s smile widened. Naruto was going to love this. But first, chakra natures. He handed each child a piece of paper, then took a sheet for himself. He sealed the rest back into his arm and held up his sheet. “Okay, so it’s a pretty simple process, but it takes everyone different amounts of time to get it, so don’t be discouraged if it doesn’t work at first. It gets easier.

“This paper is going to tell you your chakra nature. All you have to do is channel a bit of chakra into it, and its reaction will reveal your element.” To demonstrate, he neatly split his paper in half with a spike of chakra. “For example, mine is wind, so the chakra cut through my paper. Want to give it a shot?”

“Yes!” Two enthusiastic voices shouted. Sakura and Naruto were staring at him with stars in their eyes, and Hiro noticed that even Sasuke was looking at his sheet of paper intently. Hiro blinked, only used to seeing that look in Sakura’s eyes when it came to the Uchiha boy sitting next to him, but after a moment he grinned.

“All right, then go ahead!” He gestured to their own sheets of paper. “Remember, just channel a bit of chakra into the paper. Don’t worry about how fast or how slow you get it. Speed isn’t the goal here.”

Predictably, Sakura was the first to succeed, her perfect chakra control making the exercise fairly easy for her. She gasped when the paper suddenly crumbled in her hand, and she looked at Hiro with wide eyes as if unsure whether she had done something wrong. “Great job, Sakura,” he said warmly. “That means you have an Earth chakra nature. Very useful, and wonderful for defense.” Sakura’s face lit up, and her eyes shone as she nodded at Hiro.

Sasuke was next. He yelped quietly in surprise as the paper crinkled up in his hand. He looked at Hiro expectantly, who just huffed a laugh. “Lightning nature. That’s interesting, Uchihas are usually Fire--that’s probably what you expected to be, right?” Sasuke nodded, eyes never leaving the paper on his palm. “That’s great for attacks, though, and if you can still refine the Uchiha Fire style you’ll have an even stronger offense.” Hiro definitely didn’t miss how Sasuke perked up slightly at the word ‘stronger.’

Naruto was pressing his lips together, obviously frustrated. He refused to look up, probably expecting mocking and jeering. But Hiro gave Sasuke and Sakura quick, warning glances before he moved to sit by Naruto. “You’ll get it, don’t worry,” he said softly. “Did you know that Uzumakis have really big chakra reserves?” Naruto looked at him in disbelief. “Is it hard for you to do some of the simpler jutsu they taught you in the Academy? Things that your classmates could do?” Naruto nodded, much more tentatively this time, but Hiro just smiled gently. “Chakra control is really hard for us, since we have so much of it,” he explained. “It’s a little like trying to fit a lake into a teacup, there’s just so much that we don’t know what to do with it.

“That’s why I said not to worry if it takes any of you longer,” he said quietly. “Honestly, while Sakura likely has the best chakra control of you three,” Sakura beamed at the praise. “She also likely has the smallest chakra reserves, so it’s easier to control. Sasuke’s got more chakra than her, so it’s harder to control. And we have much, much more. So just keep trying,” he encouraged. “Keep trying; you’ll get there, I promise.”

After a beat of silence, a tentative voice spoke up. “I, um, I tried to picture how much chakra I would need. Like, enough to fill a cup, or enough to fill a thimble, you know? This would be tiny, like a teaspoon.” Sakura was watching her hands, a furious blush on her cheeks. Her voice had gotten quieter as she went on, until Hiro could barely hear her.

Naruto stared at her, eyes wide, seemingly in shock at the notion that not only was Hiro being nice to him about his difficulties with chakra control,  _ Sakura _ was too. Then his mouth settled into a serious line and he nodded sharply before going back to his task. Meanwhile, Hiro caught Sakura’s eye and gave her a soft smile. ‘Thank you,’ he mouthed at her, and the blush that had been fading came back in full force. The pink-haired girl was smiling this time, though.

And, wonder of wonders, she didn’t glance at Sasuke to check if he was watching her. No, now she was staring at Naruto’s chakra paper, as if her added focus could help him complete the task. Her gaze didn’t waver once as Naruto continued to work. Sasuke was watching Naruto as well, face impassive, but Hiro was just glad he wasn’t jeering.

The sound of paper tearing split the silence, seeming to be amplified by the attention it was receiving. Naruto stared at his paper in shock, looking at the paper that had torn just like Hiro’s. The tear only made it about halfway down the sheet, but it was unmistakable. “I… did it?” he whispered. The disbelief in his voice broke Hiro’s heart. Despite his reassurances, Naruto hadn’t believed he could actually do it. He still believed what they told him at the Academy--that he was stupid, hopeless, a waste of classroom space.

Naruto yelped when a red and pink blur crashed into him. Sakura grabbed his shoulders, staring at him with a grin bright enough to rival Naruto’s smiles. “You did it!” she shrieked in excitement, shaking the blond slightly. “Naruto, you did it!”

Naruto glanced back and forth between Sakura’s smiling face and the chakra paper in his lap, and slowly the disbelief faded from his face. A smile slowly grew until it was nearly splitting his face. “I did it!” he shouted. “Hiro-nii, look, look, isn’t this what yours did?”

Hiro chuckled, plucking the paper out of Naruto’s hands. “That’s right, Naruto. Your chakra nature is wind, just like me.”

Naruto laughed a bit, whisker marks scrunching up with the force of his happiness. Slowly, however, the smile dimmed, elation softening into something more like hope.“Hey, uh,” he started, fidgeting with his hands. “Thanks, Sakura-chan. Telling me about the teacup and the thimble and all that really helped.” Naruto’s eyes were shining as he met the pink-haired girl’s eyes. “Ne, ne, do you have any more tricks like that? Can you teach them to me?”

Sakura blinked, incredulous. But it only took her a few seconds to recover and give Naruto a slightly shaky smile. “I mean, if… if you really want me to. I can do that.”

_ Wow, this team is such a mess. They’re a massive pool of self-esteem issues, _ Hiro thought fondly.  _ Was there a single member of our team that didn’t have a huge inferiority complex? _ But truthfully, he almost couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Naruto was chattering on to Sakura again, but this time she was  _ listening _ . It sounded like he was thinking of all the cool things the pink-haired girl could do with Earth-style jutsu.

All this time, had Sakura just needed someone to acknowledge her strengths even a single time, the way everyone was always talking about Sasuke and Naruto? She just needed to be seen for who she was instead of feeling like ‘Naruto and Sasuke’s third teammate.’ He could kick himself for never seeing it before. He knew he was oblivious, but this seemed extreme even for him. Sakura had been directionless, that was all. Having one of her teammates progress under her instruction could help her feel valued, finally feel like a true member of the team.

He looked back at Little Me in time to see the blond’s gaze meet Sasuke’s. The dark-haired boy looked at him impassively, then gave the tiniest nod imaginable. If they hadn’t both been watching him like hawks, they likely wouldn’t have managed to see it. Naruto lit up all over again, turning to grin at Hiro again. He put a gentle hand on the blond’s head. “Good job, Naruto,” he said softly.

He raised his voice slightly and looked around at all three genin. “All three of you did a great job--now the next step is to learn how to use actual jutsu in that element.” He laughed when he heard three quiet groans. His chest felt like it was expanding; he hadn’t felt this kind of contentment in months, if not years.

“Maa, maa, what are you teaching my cute little genin, Hiro?” a familiar voice drawled.

Hiro looked up to give Kakashi a thoroughly unimpressed look. “Well, they seemed to be lacking a teacher this morning, so I figured I might as well see what I had on hand that I could teach them.”

“Sensei, sensei, Hiro-nii helped us figure out our chakra natures!” Naruto shot to his feet, grinning at Kakashi. “It took me longer because Hiro-nii said we have lots of chakra or something, but Sakura-chan helped me and we all did it!”

Hiro fluidly rose to his feet, giving Kakashi a cheerful smirk. “And I’m sure that Copy-Nin Kakashi knows jutsu in all of your elements, kids,” he said slyly. “So don’t let him get away with not teaching you any, all right?” All three kids nodded seriously, turning their hungry gaze to Kakashi.

“Uh, Hiro?” The silver-haired jounin started, but Hiro spoke over him before he could continue.

“Well, I’ve taken up enough of your time today, kids. It’s time to let your sensei do his job!” He blinked innocently at Kakashi, who was staring at Hiro with an expression of undisguised betrayal on his face.  _ If you think I won’t guilt you into teaching this team well, you’re wrong _ , he thought vindictively. Hiro ruffled all three kids’ hair (ignoring Sasuke’s halfhearted protests). “Have fun, don’t maim anyone, and if you damage anything, at least make sure it’s intentional,” he said mock-seriously. “Well, see you later!”

And amidst the chorus of farewells, Hiro flickered back to Kakashi’s apartment, leaving his sensei to realize that, now that the kids knew what training  _ could _ be, they would never let him neglect them again. Kakashi didn’t fully realize it yet, but he had three feral little monsters on his team, and Hiro had just gleefully cut them loose.

“Will this fucking family ever stop causing me headaches?” Hiro groaned.

Kurama just laughed, completely unsympathetic. “No, probably not. Welcome to my world, kit. You’ve had a few days of peace, so clearly it’s time for your next Uchiha Incident.”

“I hate you.” the redhead grumbled, only provoking more laughter from the fox. He had taken to meditating at the edge of the training grounds each morning, as he was usually cognizant enough to leave before anyone else arrived. But besides using the time as a concentration exercise, Hiro also spent his mornings near the edge of the village so Sage mode could let him sense everyone in the vicinity. He could project his senses for miles after years of constant practice, and liked to check the borders each day to make sure no one was trying to infiltrate the village.

And apparently his dedication was paying off. Not that he had really wanted it to. God, why couldn’t people just let him relax for three seconds? Now he had to shake his ANBU tails without them noticing so he could go deal with… whatever this was going to be.

He discreetly pulled a few seals from his pockets, activating one that manipulated an outsider’s senses so they couldn’t perceive any of the user’s movements. Unfortunately, if left activated too long opponents could tell that something was wrong, so it could only be activated in short bursts. But that was more than enough time for Hiro. He stood and created a Shadow Clone, which took up his previous position in silence. Hiro activated the chakra suppression seal on his arm, slipped out of sight, and released the perception seal. As far as his ANBU friends knew, Hiro hadn’t moved an inch.

He raced through the trees, tracing the familiar chakra signature with ease. Thankfully (or maybe not, on second thought), it was relatively close, and it only took Hiro a few minutes to close in on the trespasser. But chakra suppression seal or not, the man was practically impossible to sneak up on, so he didn’t look surprised in the least when Hiro dropped directly in front of him. “Uchiha Itachi,” he greeted politely, inclining his head.

“Uzumaki,” Itachi responded. “You’re the man who killed Kisame.” There was absolutely no inflection in his voice. Itachi had always been the hardest Uchiha to get a read on. He was way too good at wearing a mask.

“That’s right.” Hiro casually inspected his nails, serving the dual purpose of expressing his confidence and keeping his eyes firmly off of Itachi’s. “Let me tell you, I had one hell of a time getting him alone. Honestly, I think finding him at a time where you weren’t with him was harder than the fight itself.”

“Oh?” Itachi raised an eyebrow. “I find it difficult to believe that you couldn’t have fought us together. Why would you wait until he was alone?”

“I appreciate your confidence in my abilities, it’s very flattering.” And, actually, it was. Part of why Hiro had primarily gone after solo Akatsuki members was that he didn’t want to test whether he  _ could _ take on two by himself. Did he think he could do it? Sure, if he absolutely had to. But Akatsuki teams were put together for a reason. The pairs generally worked very well together, and Hiro couldn’t risk one of them getting lucky. “The thing is, I’m really hoping that I won’t have to fight you, Itachi. That’s why I waited until Kisame was alone, that’s why I came here without telling anyone that I was leaving, much less where I was going. There are enough threats to Konoha without fighting you, too.”

“I fail to see why you don’t count me among Konoha’s enemies,” the Uchiha said coolly. But Hiro had been paying attention, so he saw the flash of uneasiness in his eyes.

Hiro just shrugged, putting his hands in his pockets. “Well, because I know what really happened to your family. I know what really happened that night. I know who pushed you to do it, and I know who else was there. And I don’t make a habit of punishing a man for someone else’s mistakes.”

Finally, he got a blatant reaction. Itachi’s eyes narrowed. His frame tensed, visible even beneath his Akatsuki cloak. “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he ground out, and if looks could kill, Hiro would be incinerated by now.

Hiro gave a long-suffering sigh. Instead of responding, he held up a finger, motioning for him to wait. Itachi’s anger stuttered into confusion as Hiro pulled out yet another seal. Activating it before the other could do anything to stop him, he smiled grimly and said, “Before you attack me or something equally unproductive, that was just a privacy seal. We’ve already had more of this conversation in the open than I’m comfortable with. I wasn’t going any further until making sure that Zetsu or someone wouldn’t be able to listen in.” Plus, he had also taken the time to activate his personal barrier seal, the one that broke Genma’s senbon the night he came to Konoha. Better safe than sorry.

“Oh, and he won’t get suspicious when he suddenly can’t see or hear us. As far as he can tell, we’re having a fight that’s pretty spectacular, if I do say so myself. Your family helped me with it, actually. Genjutsu was never my specialty. But this pretty much makes viewers see what they expect to see. Zetsu would expect us to fight, so that’s what he’ll see if he is here.” Since Obito had been Minato’s student, he was already familiar with the basics of sealing, so collaborating with him to incorporate genjutsu into his seals wasn’t difficult at all.

Itachi was watching him warily, but after a moment of tense silence the spinning of his Sharingan slowed, then stopped, and finally the red faded from his eyes completely. Hiro felt a flare of satisfaction as he met Itachi’s half-wary, half-curious gaze head-on. “Thank you,” he said quietly, with a small smile. “I know how much the Sharingan has already weakened your vision, so I appreciate the trust you’re showing in me.”

“Hn,” Itachi said dismissively, and had Sasuke gotten that mannerism from his  _ brother? _ Apparently being uncommunicative and broody ran in the family. Somehow Hiro hadn’t seen Itachi as the type, but if the man’s current eloquence was anything to go by, Sasuke and Itachi were more alike than he had realized.

“So, where was I?” Hiro mused, then snapped his fingers. “Right! You were telling me that I didn’t know what I was talking about, and I was just about to prove you wrong.” Itachi was still eying him skeptically, but Hiro really couldn’t care less. “First of all, I know that Danzo used Sasuke as leverage to get you to kill your whole family. God, the more I learn about that man the less I can tolerate Sarutobi putting up with his shit for so long.

“Still with me?” Itachi had jerked in surprise at the mention of Danzo’s involvement, but Hiro could swear he saw a hint of a smile on his face. A smile that quickly dropped away at his next words. “Also, everyone thinks you were alone that night, but no, you had help. Madara was with you. Well, the guy pretending to be Madara, but we’ll get there. I know you’re still loyal to the Leaf. I know you’re spying on Akatsuki for Sarutobi and Danzo. So yeah, Itachi, you did a lot of fucked-up shit, and I can’t even begin to understand some of the decisions you made, but the Uchiha Massacre? You were the tool, not the hand wielding it.” He smiled at Itachi sadly. “How am I doing so far?”

The dark-haired man was bone-white, staring at him in shock and no small amount of fear. “Who else knows?” he rasped, voice strained. “How many other people know?”

“No one,” Hiro reassured him. Itachi looked at him dubiously, but Hiro held his hands up placatingly. “No, really. No one else knows. I’m the only one, besides those who are directly involved.”

“How?” His voice was shaking slightly, and his face was still bloodless. “I don’t think there are even records of my… agreement with Danzo and Hokage-sama. There’s no paper trail anywhere, and I know you weren’t there that night, so how could you possibly know all this?”

Hiro had been debating with himself for the entire conversation, but figured he already knew so many impossible things, what was one more impossibility thrown into the mix? “Because I’m from the future, thrown back by a hellish combination of different space-time jutsus, and in that future Tobi told me himself.” He paused. “So did you, actually.”

The blatant disbelief Hiro was growing both used to and tired of flashed across Itachi’s face. “Impossible,” he scoffed, narrowing his eyes. “There’s no jutsu I know of that could ever even begin to turn back time.”

Hiro groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. He could feel a headache coming on. “That’s because there isn’t  _ one _ . You do remember me saying it was a hellish combination of different jutsus, right? Also, would it be easier to believe if I told you that one of them was caused by the Rinnegan and the other by a Seal Master?” He wasn’t going to go into Kurama and the other Bijuu yet; he refused to risk their safety, so he wouldn’t say anything about them unless he was positive Itachi wouldn’t harm him.

Itachi blinked, considering his words. “It’s not proof by any means,” he said slowly, “but the Rinnegan can do things that would be impossible under any other circumstances. I can’t say with certainty that the Rinnegan  _ can’t _ do what you say.” He pressed his fingertips together, frowning thoughtfully. “Is there anything else you have that can support your claim?” he asked, but his voice was more curious than accusatory.

The Uchiha was taking this better than Hiro thought he would, in all honesty. He was expecting another Sarutobi, another ‘if you aren’t going to tell the truth then stop wasting my time.’ But, then again, Itachi always had managed to take Hiro’s expectations and twist them inside out in a single moment.

Hiro gave a small hum, considering. Did he have anything else? He inhaled sharply--there was one thing that might work. “There is something I can show you, but I have to summon it here, so don’t freak out, okay?” Itachi gave a cautious nod, and Hiro gave him a smile before performing the necessary hand seals. He wasn’t willing to show his foxes to anyone yet, either, so only the scroll appeared in his hand. “This is my summoning contract,” he explained, somewhat unnecessarily. He was sure Itachi knew what this was. “You can’t exactly fake a summoning contract, so this will be proof of my identity. Does that work?”

Itachi nodded slowly before asking, “But why will seeing your name prove anything to me?”

Hiro snorted. “Just come and look.” The dark-haired man walked towards Hiro with a surprisingly small amount of trepidation. Either Itachi was very good at sensing Hiro’s innocent intentions, or he was really confident he could beat Hiro if he tried to attack him. With a whisper of chakra, the scroll opened gently in his hands. He gently brushed his fingertips over the contents, heart warm as he searched for his name. He could never thank Kurama enough for helping him meet and contract with the foxes, even if it was somewhat self-serving, since Kurama didn’t want to share Hiro with toads this time around. He felt like the foxes fit him better now than the toads would have. “Ah, here it is.” He tapped on his name and just waited for the realization to hit.

Itachi froze, every muscle locking up as his eyes widened in shock. He slowly turned to meet Hiro’s eyes, and the redhead smiled. “If I’m right about why you’ve been sent here, congratulations. You found me, Itachi.”

That, of all things, drew a startled laugh out of the younger man. “Well, that was easy,” he muttered. “Sorry, I just… you’re him? Really him?”

Hiro shrugged. “Yeah. Or I used to be. Right now Uzumaki Naruto is probably terrorizing Kakashi in their training today. I’m Hiro now. But technically you fulfilled your objective,” he said, raising an eyebrow. “Even if it isn’t quite in the way you expected.”

Long fingers traced over Hiro’s name in the contract--there may already be a Naruto here, but Hiro still had to sign with his true name--and the tips of Itachi’s lips twitched. “That’s true, my mission was just reconnaissance this time. But, Hiro, what do you expect from here?” Troubled dark eyes met his. “I very highly doubt that you would let us have Naruto--or that you would agree to come in yourself.”

“Rightfully so,” Hiro interjected.

“But in that case,” the younger man continued, “I don’t understand what you want from me going forward. I still have my obligations to the Hokage and to the Akatsuki, Hiro. I cannot just sever those, much as I might like to help.”

“I’m not asking you to.” Hiro shrugged nonchalantly. “Actually, it’ll be better if you keep going the way you already have been. I know that you send information to Sarutobi and Danzo when you can. For now, if you could just keep me in the loop on the Akatsuki’s movements, that’s more than enough. If all you can tell me is the information you give to the Hokage, that is perfectly fine.”

He put a gentle hand on the Uchiha’s shoulder, startling him into meeting Hiro’s gaze. “In all this, Itachi, I want you to know that your safety is my priority,” Hiro said firmly. “I’ll do whatever I can to keep you safe from Danzo and from the Akatsuki. At the end of the day, information or no information, I just want you to know you can contact me if you need anything.”

Itachi’s brow furrowed, and he stared at Hiro as if searching for something. “Why are you so invested in helping me?” he asked, a bitter undertone in his voice. “There are so many others who deserve protection more than I do.”

“God, you’re as bad as Kakashi with your self-sacrificial bullshit,” Hiro sighed. “First, I’m only killing Akatsuki members that can’t change, can’t be brought back. In one sense, you never left, since you’ve always been loyal to Konoha, so you don’t need to be brought back. Second, and more importantly,” he said with a helpless shrug, “you’re Sasuke’s brother.” He gave Itachi a small smile. “Simple as that.”

That Itachi and Sasuke talked more after Itachi’s death than before had always been one of Sasuke’s greatest regrets. That Sasuke hadn’t known the truth of the Uchiha Massacre until after killing Itachi by his own hand. He had never admitted it to Hiro, but he hadn’t needed to. That kind of pain couldn’t be properly conveyed through words, anyway.

So later, when they were all in less immediate danger, Hiro was going to smack the boy on the back of the head and drag him home to his younger brother. There was a lot of healing on Sasuke’s part that needed to happen first, as well, but if his morning with Team 7 had been any indication, eventually Sasuke was going to be alright.

For a moment Itachi simply continued to watch him, face inscrutable, before he gave a slow nod. “You will hear from me,” he said quietly, face returning to its cool mask. His Akatsuki face.

Hiro rolled his neck, trying to ease the tension. “Great. Now, finishing up without letting Zetsu know--if he’s here, anyway. Can’t be too careful. Can you use your crows to leave, to get far enough away that he won’t feel you?” At Itachi’s nod, he continued. “Okay, I want you to leave when I lift the privacy seal, so that he can see you go. I’ll leave just after.” Taking a deep breath, he gave Itachi one last kind look. “Stay safe,” he warned, undoing the seal and motioning for the man to leave.

“Same to you,” Itachi murmured, then he took off, splitting into his flock of crows and disappearing into the trees.

In the same instant, Hiro transported himself back to Kakashi’s apartment. His room was quickly becoming his go-to spot for when he used the Flying Raijin to get away from someone. Thankfully this was the first time he had been running from a truly serious situation rather than something trivial.

He had seen Itachi. Talked to him.

Itachi was going to work with him.

When a smile stretched across his face Hiro didn’t try to stop it. Finally,  _ finally _ , something had gone right.

Now to switch places with his clone before anyone noticed he was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiro 100% embodies my personal feelings on Itachi's whole situation. What he did was fucked up, and it was wrong, but he was a traumatized kid forced into an impossible situation by the leaders he was supposed to be able to trust. I love my boy, and just wish I could have seen how he lived if the whole coup/massacre situation never happened.
> 
> Thanks again for reading, and let me know what you think! I'll see you next time :)


	7. In which Hiro likes seals more than people

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Usually writing this story comes pretty easily to me, but writing chapter 15 has been like running into a brick wall. Repeatedly. And it doesn't help that, while I'm trying to write this damn thing, my brain decided thinking of a new fic was a good move. Here I am, trying to help Hiro get through his shit, while my brain yells "NUKENIN NARUTO NUKENIN NARUTO" at me.
> 
> So I distract myself by giving y'all chapter 7. Enjoy!

“You wanted to see me, Hokage-sama?”

Hiro clasped his hands behind his back, standing up straight as he and Hiruzen locked eyes. There was a hint of wariness in Hiruzen’s.

_ Good _ , Kurama grumbled.  _ He’s lucky you didn’t depose him the night you came. You’re too nice, brat. I would have just killed him. _

_ Yes, Kurama, I know _ , Hiro said patiently. They’d had this conversation before.  _ I don’t want to cause any unnecessary civil unrest, though, not yet at least. The Danzo situation will be enough of an uproar by itself. _ The fox huffed in frustration, but let the matter drop. Hiro had enough to worry about without dealing with Hokage problems on top of it all. As long as Hiruzen didn’t do anything stupid, Hiro wasn’t going to say anything.

But if he screwed up again, Hiro was going to find Tsunade early so he had a Hokage he could respect.

“Yes, Hiro, thank you for coming quickly,” Hiruzen said genially. “How have you been settling in here in Konoha?”

Hiro rolled his eyes, making a few hand signs and setting up the privacy seal he had used with Itachi. “Can we skip the small talk?” he asked. “I just put up a barrier around the two of us. Even the ANBU in this room can’t hear what we’re saying. As far as they can see from the outside, we’re having a perfectly normal conversation about my first few weeks here.”

“Remarkable,” Hiruzen breathed, eyes glinting with interest. “Where did you learn that?”

“I made it with Sasuke,” Hiro said casually, moving his hands to his pockets and relaxing his posture. That wasn’t strictly true, but he still wasn’t ready to tell anyone about Obito. Honestly, until they apprehended him, he wasn’t sure he was planning to tell anyone at all. That was a later problem. No need to worry about Obito until the rest of the Akatsuki has been dealt with. “What can I do for you?” he asked again, a little more insistently this time.

Hiruzen met his gaze calmly, all wariness gone--or hidden, anyway. “As of today you’re an official jounin of Konoha.” He extended a hand, hitai-ate sitting in his palm. Hiro blinked, taking it slowly. “You won’t be given any high-profile missions yet, obviously; partially because you’re so new and in part so you’re available to mobilize when we get any information on Akatsuki members’ locations.”

Hiro nodded; that was more than fair. He preferred it that way, anyway. Smaller jobs meant more time in the village, which meant more time with Naruto. He also agreed with Hiruzen, he needed to be ready to go after Akatsuki members on a moment’s notice. “Understood,” he said briskly, tying the hitai-ate around his head. “Thank you for allowing me the time to prioritize the Akatsuki. When should I expect to receive my first assignment?”

“Likely within the next few days,” the older man replied. He laced his fingers together, resting his elbows on his desk. “As you are no longer under surveillance, you are no longer required to live with Kakashi.” Hiro blinked in surprise. “Yes, I know you were expecting to be watched for a longer amount of time, but when the jounin commander and the head of T&I are willing to vouch for you, it suddenly becomes a lot easier to convince the council that you aren’t a threat to Konoha.”

Hiro grinned, shaking his head. He’d have to remember to thank them. While he completely understood the suspicion, it would be nice not to have tails every minute of every day. Unless ROOT counted, since he doubted that Danzo would leave him alone, but now that he wasn’t being followed officially he could just shake Danzo’s agents and they wouldn’t be able to report him for it. Well, they could report him to Danzo, but first, they would anyway and Hiro wanted to give them as little information as possible, and second, annoying Danzo at every opportunity would just be  _ fun _ .

“So I owe my newfound freedom to them,” he mused. “I’d send them flowers if Inoichi didn’t already work in a flower shop.” He readjusted his hitai-ate and asked, “Is that all?” After Hiruzen’s nod, he started making the hand signs to deactivate the privacy seal, but his hands froze as he remembered the news he should probably share with the old man. “Oh! By the way, I saw Itachi outside the village the other day.”

Hiruzen’s face turned to stone, eyes hard as he watched Hiro. “You saw Itachi,” he repeated, tone neutral. “Uchiha Itachi.”

“That’s the one!” Inwardly, he and Kurama were both snickering. Should he really get this much enjoyment from irritating authority figures? “It would have been three days ago, now.”

“This happened three days ago, and you’re only just telling me now?” Hiruzen’s voice grew sharper with each word, throwing them at Hiro like knives.

Knives that, unfortunately for the Kage, didn’t hit their target. “Well, yeah, this is the first time I’ve been here since then!” Hiro said cheerfully. “In all honesty, Sarutobi, I had forgotten what it was like to have someone to report to. It’s been years since I’ve been around enough people for there to even be a chain of command to begin with. And it wasn’t a formal mission about the Akatsuki or anything. I just kind of… ran into him.” Ran  _ to _ him, rather. Close enough.

Hiruzen pinched the bridge of his nose, resting the elbow on the desk wearily. “Hiro, just because you aren’t used to the chain of command, that doesn’t mean you can operate outside of it. In the future, I expect you to inform me of any incidents where you ‘run into’ Akatsuki members.”

Hiro shrugged, linking his fingers behind his head. “If you insist. Anyway, it’s likely that he’ll be sending me the same information he sends you and Danzo on the Akatsuki’s movements.” At Hiruzen’s startled look, Hiro rolled his eyes. “Look, I know  _ everything _ about the Uchiha Massacre. I know he still works for you. I know he’s still loyal to Konoha. I know who was really behind that massacre, and it wasn’t Uchiha Itachi.”

“Now look here, Hiro,” Sarutobi warned, lifting his eyes to stare Hiro down once more. “There is far more to the Uchiha situation than you know. What happened was tragic and certainly not on my orders, and I didn’t know about it until after the fact, but my advisors felt that this was the most efficient solution.”

Hiro stared at him for a few moments, unblinking. His head felt like it was full of static, his ears ringing faintly. He couldn’t have heard that right. They were talking about the event that had stolen Itachi’s future from him, destroyed Sasuke’s life, eliminated an entire  _ clan _ , and all he could say is that it was tragic but efficient? His nails were digging into his palms hard enough to draw blood; he could feel the drops between his fingers. He needed to get out of this room. Now. He needed to physically remove himself from this situation before he truly lost his temper. No matter how angry he was, he couldn’t afford to lose control of his emotions. “With your leave, Hokage-sama, I have other engagements I need to get to,” he said with gritted teeth, not even attempting to hide the wrath burning in his eyes. “If I see any other Akatsuki members outside of a sanctioned mission, I will let you know.”

In an instant he had schooled his features into a perfectly calm mask, pushing the anger to the side at least long enough to get out of the room. So before Sarutobi could respond, Hiro negated his privacy seal and slipped through the door, not giving the Hokage any time to call after him. He felt restless, unsettled, with too much energy coursing through him with no outlet. He could feel the pressure building, and unless he wanted to explode on someone, figuratively  _ or _ literally, he needed to calm himself down.

As soon as he left the building he shot through the village in a blur, keeping to streets that were relatively empty.  _ What happened was tragic, but it was the most efficient solution _ . The words played in Hiro’s mind on repeat and he pushed his legs faster, trying to outrun his thoughts.  _ That’s some Madara and Infinite Tsukuyomi shit, _ he thought bitterly.  _ Choosing the most efficient solution rather than looking for the  _ right _ solution. Does Sarutobi actually believe what he’s saying, or is that what he tells himself so he can sleep at night? _

But how could all this have gone on without anyone noticing? How hadn’t any of the other clans seen anything? Had they not noticed Danzo’s corruption? He knew Kakashi had--after all, the man was friends with Tenzo. Had they seen, but they just didn’t care? Or felt the risks of interfering were too great? He didn’t want to believe that--not of his friends--but he couldn’t deny that it was a legitimate possibility.

It wouldn’t be the first time clan leaders had folded under pressure and followed orders they knew were wrong. Over the years several clan leaders had come to Naruto to apologize for neglecting him, for keeping their children away from him, for turning a blind eye to his mistreatment at the hands of the civilians. Nara Shikaku, Yamanaka Inoichi, Inuzuka Tsume, and, interestingly enough, Hyuuga Hiashi. They had doubled the number of people who had apologized to him for anything in his entire life. Hiro had forgiven them--the past was the past, after all, and if they were sincere then there was no reason not to start again. But that just went to show how easily people could ignore the corruption festering right before them.

He came to a stop at the edge of one of the fields that the jounin often used for training. It was secluded enough that no kids or civilians would unwittingly wander in and get caught in the crossfire. It was perfect. He took a deep breath and pulled his tanto blades from their seal, rolling his wrists a few times to loosen up. The nice thing about being Hiro was that he always had a sparring partner on hand. A Shadow Clone appeared in a cloud of smoke, and with an almost wild grin he jumped at the original, blades glinting in the sun.

They crashed together in a shower of sparks, the impact forcing the breath from Hiro’s lungs, and soon enough he was able to lose himself in the give and take of battle. He didn’t have to worry about hurting his sparring partner or watching out for friends on the battlefield. He could just fight. He could release all of his frustration and excess energy, because as soon as he destroyed one Shadow Clone he could create another to take its place. His movements took on a rhythmic quality, starting to feel more like a dance as he slowly calmed down.

Hiro didn’t know how long he stayed in that field, whirling around his clones, trading blows fiercely, before he dispatched one last clone and leaned against one of the trees at the edge of the field. He inhaled slowly with his eyes shut, relishing the burning in his lungs, the sweat on his skin. He was still angry and nothing was going to entirely take that away, but he didn’t feel like he was a bomb about to go off anymore.

“Got room for another over here?”

A small smile crawled onto Hiro’s face before he even opened his eyes. He knew that voice. Brown eyes and purple hair greeted him as he blinked his eyes open. Yugao was leaning on her sword, tip buried in the earth, regarding him with an open smile. He pushed himself off the trunk, pulling his braid over his shoulder so the air could hit the back of his neck. “Sure,” he said easily, walking up to her. “I was just leaving, actually, so it’s all yours.”

She tilted her head to the side, considering him. They were about the same height, and her eyes were level with his as she gave him a measured look. “You know, I don’t think I’ve seen you around,” she began casually. “I had heard there was a new shinobi in the village; I assume that’s you?”

Hiro had to bite back a laugh. He wasn’t supposed to know that she was ANBU, so by all accounts he should think this is his first time meeting her. He decided to play along for the moment, though. “Uzumaki Hiromitsu.” He held out a hand for her to shake. “And actually, I was only officially made a Konoha shinobi this morning.”

She took his hand in a firm grip. “Uzuki Yugao,” she replied. She looked past him into the field he had been training in, raising an eyebrow. “You seemed too keyed up for all this,” she gestured behind him generally, “to be because you were given a hitai-ate.”

This time Hiro couldn’t help his bark of laughter. “Perceptive,” he said wryly. She just grinned back at him. “This village is beautiful, but… sometimes it reminds me of my life before. My home. My family. You know?” He shrugged, putting his hands in his pockets. “And trying to make a new home is no walk in the park.”

She frowned slightly and laid a gentle hand on his arm. “I’m sorry.” Her eyes were brimming with sincerity and regret. “I really shouldn’t have brought it up. I can only imagine how hard it must be to completely start over.”

He just shook his head and smiled at her. “No, please don’t feel bad. It’s hard, but there are always silver linings, right? I’ve made quite a few friends already, and they’re all wonderful. I,” he faltered slightly before pressing on, smile wavering, “I found out I’m not the last Uzumaki left.”

Her eyes brightened with understanding, then amusement. “You’ve met Naruto, then,” she stated. “He’s a little firecracker, huh?”

Hiro snorted. “Yeah, something like that. I was a lot like him when I was a kid, actually. I had way more energy than anyone knew how to handle, including myself. Training has been good for him.” He felt a flicker of chakra behind him, nearly imperceptible, and he tensed. He had been wondering when his ROOT friends were going to start their daily surveillance. What he hadn’t been expecting was for Yugao’s eyes to narrow, her frame tensing slightly as well.

“You noticed my entourage, too?” he asked softly, with a rueful smile. “They’re later today than they normally are. Probably because I was talking to Hokage-sama for a while.”

“You’re still being watched?” she asked, confusion and wariness mixing in her voice. “I wouldn’t think that the Hokage would make you an official shinobi if you were still being assigned an ANBU tail.”

He met her eyes, expression grave. “Yugao,” he said softly, “we both know those aren’t normal ANBU.”

Surprise flitted across her face before she laughed under her breath. “Honestly, I should have assumed that you’d know who I am.” She sobered, meeting his eyes with a determined gaze of her own. “Had any trouble with them since the last time I saw you?” She spoke carefully, minimizing movement so anyone watching couldn’t read her lips.

“No, they’ve just been watching for now. I’m waiting for them to make a move, though. I know it’s coming, I just don’t know when. Which reminds me,” he smiled at her gratefully. “Thank you, Yugao. Thank you for keeping your promise.” He wasn’t sure what he would have done if Danzo knew Hiro was onto him. He wasn’t above assassination, especially not when it came to Danzo, but if he could implicate the man without doing anything illegal he would prefer to go that route. Problems with Hiruzen aside, serious criminal activity wouldn’t be in Hiro’s best interests while he was still building his own credibility here.

“Don’t worry about it, Hiro,” Yugao said gently. “We’re on your side in this. After all, you’re the one that Danzo is after. You’re the expert in keeping yourself safe, not me.” She gave him a cheeky grin. “I may have been following you around for weeks, but somehow I don’t think that gives me enough insight to make decisions that directly affect your life.”

Before he could stop to think about it, his arms were around her, eyes squeezed shut. What did he do to deserve friends like this? Yugao’s arms wrapped around him in return, and he held her for a moment longer before pulling away, unexpectedly emotional. In the end, all he could say was a repeated, “Thank you. Tell Tenzo for me next time you see him?”

Yugao laughed outright. “Of course you know us both. Have you even met Tenzo without his mask yet?”

Hiro smiled mischievously. “Nope. He probably doesn’t realize yet that I know his name. But I live with Kakashi; it was inevitable that Tenzo got brought up eventually. Besides, I’ve been  _ trying _ to find the man, but he’s nearly impossible to track down.”

“You’ve been looking for Tenzo?” Yugao asked, perplexed. “Why?”

Hiro’s eyes hardened in determination, mind flooding with memories of a boy who read dozens of books trying to understand his friends and his emotions, trying to learn faster and be better, not realizing how loyal and kind he already was. Of a man who spent hours upon hours helping Hiro push the limits of his training, waiting patiently for him beneath a waterfall, faith in him never wavering. Of friends he would not fail a second time. “I need to talk to him about a seal.”

When Kakashi returned to his apartment that evening, Hiro was at the kitchen table, writing furiously. Every inch of table space was covered in paper--notes, from the look of it--and he was so focused that didn’t even look up when Kakashi entered the room. It was rare to get the chance to observe the man unnoticed. His dark red hair had been taken out of its normal braid, spilling down his back, a few strands falling forward as he leaned over his project. His leg was bouncing with nervous energy, and his jaw was clenched. He pulled out a worn notebook and flipped through its pages; Kakashi could see seals and notes covering the pages, but with a hiss of frustration he snapped the book closed, going back to the papers in front of him.

“Trouble with a seal?” Kakashi asked mildly. And the silver-haired jounin must have been wrong about Hiro not noticing him, because he didn’t react at all at the sound of Kakashi’s voice.

He glared at his notes as if they had personally offended him, then pushed back to look up at Kakashi. “Not seal, seals,” he corrected. “There are a few seals I’ve been working on, and I’m getting closer, it’s just not progressing as fast as I would like.” Hiro settled an elbow on the table, resting his cheek in his hand, and gave Kakashi a wan smile. “How’d training go today?”

How indeed. Kakashi had to admit, the kids were doing better than he ever expected. Even if they still weren’t friends, exactly, they had learned to work together without snapping at each other. That alone was marked improvement from day one. In fact, more often than not Kakashi would arrive to see his genin throwing kunai or practicing one of the jutsu Kakashi had started teaching them. “They’ve improved quite a bit,” he said honestly. “I wasn’t too sure about them, but they seem like they’ve found their footing.”

Sasuke was still moody and stubborn, Naruto was still loud and overenthusiastic, and Sakura was still obsessed with Sasuke, but they were all slowly getting less extreme. “This morning Sasuke and Naruto were throwing shuriken at Sakura’s Earth Wall to test its durability,” he offered. “She’s gotten pretty good at that one.” A small smile curled his lips.

Hiro watched him steadily for a few moments, seemingly looking for something. Eventually, he nodded to himself and spoke up. “You’ve got to do something about how late you are,” he said bluntly.

Kakashi blinked, startled. “Where did that come from?” he asked incredulously.

“It came from the man who’s asked you about training every day this week, and has always been given an answer about what the kids are teaching each other rather than instruction from their jounin-sensei.” Hiro’s steady gaze didn’t waver as he brushed a few stray locks of hair out of his face, but his voice wasn’t angry. It was calm, with an undercurrent of gentleness. “They deserve more than half your attention,” he said softly. “They need you, Kakashi.”

Kakashi snorted, dropping into the chair beside Hiro. “They don’t need me,” he responded with certainty. “Any teacher would be better for them. It’s like you said; they deserve more than a teacher’s divided attention.”

“You’re wrong.”

Kakashi’s brow furrowed at the conviction in Hiro’s voice. “What do you mean?” he asked warily.

Hiro sighed, lowering both forearms to the table and leaning towards the other man. “They need  _ you _ , Kakashi,” he insisted, wearing the saddest smile Kakashi had ever seen. “Kakashi, you are Minato’s only student in the village.” Kakashi flinched, two deaths and the blood on his hands running through his mind, but Hiro pushed on. “Who would be a better choice to be Naruto’s teacher? Not to mention you’re likely the only jounin-sensei in the village who would treat him the same as any other kid. The others would try, but they’ve grown up in a world where Naruto is the scapegoat for their fears and frustrations. They wouldn’t notice they were doing it, they would try to treat him with kindness, but you’re the only one who really cares about him, and has from the beginning.”

Kakashi… didn’t know what to say. Instead of trying to attack Kakashi’s insecurities, Hiro was coming at this from the opposite direction. “Is caring really enough?” He didn’t mean for so much bitterness to spill into his voice, and he dropped his gaze, unable to meet Hiro’s eyes.

He heard a soft laugh. “Is caring really enough?” he repeated incredulously. “Kakashi, caring matters more than anything else ever could. Sasuke has been showered with attention and favor since Itachi killed their clan, but none of those people really care about him. And he can tell. They see him as ‘the last Uchiha,’ just like they see Naruto as ‘that demon boy.’ Sasuke doesn’t know what it feels like to be loved anymore. He thinks love is a weakness. How else could you help him than to truly care about him?

“And Sakura.” Kakashi looked back up in time to see Hiro’s fond smile. “She’s capable of so much more than you know.” His eyes were filled with pride and remembered joy. “Everyone underestimates her. Her entire life, she has been told she wouldn’t be a good kunoichi, that she couldn’t succeed, that all she could do was pass the tests. No one has ever tried to encourage her, to tell her that they believe in her. If she’s managed this much with no support, just imagine how far she could go if she knew her team cared about her.” The redhead ran a hand through his hair, his smile brightening as he met Kakashi’s eyes. “Do you still think that ‘just caring’ isn’t enough?”

Kakashi could only stare at Hiro, stunned. Part of him wanted to dismiss the man’s words, to return to the safety of apathy and keep himself separated from these kids. But one of those kids was sitting in front of him, telling him that Kakashi could be  _ good _ for his team. He couldn’t dismiss that so easily. “Can’t they find someone less… broken to be their teacher?” He didn’t want to pass his misfortune on to his team. He killed everything that got close to him. It wasn’t safe to be near him--

“You’re broken? Good. The three of us are, too.” Hiro said bluntly. “That’s why we all need each other. To put each other back together again.” Kakashi must have still looked doubtful, because Hiro pressed his lips into a flat line, then tilted his head thoughtfully. “You remember my first night here, how I showed you all the battle that came just before I was sent back to this time?”

Kakashi nodded, eyebrows drawing together.

Hiro smiled and shrugged. “You saw Sasuke and Sakura there. They made it to the end. They were still standing with me. You don’t get us killed, Kakashi. Just the opposite. The only way you could ever hurt us was by letting us think you didn’t care.”

Kakashi felt like he had just been punched in the chest. Wait, that had never been what he wanted--he didn’t want them to think he didn’t care about them at all. “Did I let you think--” he rasped, winded.

“I think we knew that you cared,” Hiro said thoughtfully, eyes far away. His fingers drummed on the table, and as he opened his mouth he hesitated. It was brief, but Kakashi still saw it. Not an instant later, Hiro had recovered, apparently having found the words he was looking for. “But you were never there on time for training. And when you finally got there, you were always focused on Sasuke. Just like everybody else. Sakura and I were left in the dust. We kind of only mattered when we did training specifically as a team, you know? We had to find our own teachers eventually.

“So no, I don’t think Sakura and I believed you didn’t care at all. But for me, at least, I figured you were just one more person who cared more about the last Uchiha than you could ever care about me.”

Minato’s son thought he cared more about Sasuke. His shoulders slumped, and Hiro noticed. “Kakashi,” he said gently. “I’m not trying to guilt trip you. That’s not what this is about. I just want you to see how important you are to those kids. All three of them. And if you’d just let them in, they would be really important to you, too.”

“The council has… asked me to keep an eye on Sasuke,” Kakashi began carefully. That hadn’t been a fun meeting. Being stared down by the Sandaime and his three advisers, the sole object of their scrutiny, was the last thing he wanted. They made him uncomfortable; Pakkun and the rest of his pack had warned him about them once, saying that they were dangerous and that Kakashi should stay away. And after everything with Tenzo, he couldn’t look Danzo in the eye without feeling anger build in his chest.

As he met Hiro’s clear purple gaze, somehow Kakashi’s ever-present self-hatred eased slightly. “I was wondering if they had already done that,” Hiro commented, eyes softening as he continued to look at Kakashi.

“You already knew?” he asked, feeling as though he had heard this before. 

Hiro shrugged, unconcerned. “Yeah, you told me. You were apologizing to me and Sakura. You didn’t use the council as an excuse or anything, you just explained your actions and motivations.”

That sounded like him. He wouldn’t make excuses. He didn’t deserve any. “How did that conversation end?” Kakashi wasn’t sure why he felt such trepidation. Hiro had made it clear again and again over the past weeks that he considered Kakashi a friend. So why was he worrying about events that had never even occurred for him?

Hiro raised an eyebrow, looking at him knowingly. “I forgave you a long time ago,” he said simply. “Long before that conversation. We both did. We told you that, but Tenzo came in before you could react, telling us that they couldn’t start the strategy meeting without the three of us and giving us his scary eyes when we took too long to move.”

“Scary eyes?” Kakashi asked, amused. He’d have to ask Tenzo about that.

Hiro gave him a withering look. “He’s terrifying when he wants to be, okay?” He stopped for a moment, looking at the table, then chuckled. “But we got off-track here. This conversation isn’t about Tenzo.” He reached over to flick Kakashi on the side of the head before the man could dodge.

“Please listen to me.” His voice was quiet, but his eyes were flickering with hope. “They need you. They’re just kids. I know you’re scared, I know you don’t think you can do it, but please try.”

Looking at those earnest eyes, Kakashi felt calm, settled, for the first time all day. He needed to remember that this wasn’t Hiro asking him. It was the future Uzumaki Naruto, asking for more time with  _ Kakashi _ of all people. He gave Hiro an eye smile and said, “Maa, I wonder how shocked they’ll be when their sensei is on time tomorrow.”

A slow smile spread across Hiro’s face. His eyes were bright, but Kakashi couldn’t tell if it was tears or simply happiness. And the last thing Kakashi wanted was for Hiro to cry. He wasn’t good with tears. Time for a subject change.

“Now I’ve updated you on my day,” he said cheerfully, slapping his hands on his thighs. Hiro jumped at the sound. “What about you? What were you working on when I walked in?”

The smile dropped from Hiro’s face, replaced by a frown. “Seals,” he said with a sigh, rubbing his temple. “Picking them apart and figuring out how they work, so I can counteract them.”

Kakashi’s eyebrow quirked. “I wouldn’t have thought that there were any seals in this time that you couldn’t figure out, considering.” He gestured to the redhead’s arms, seals inked up and down every available surface.

Hiro huffed a small laugh. “I may be good at Fuuinjutsu,  _ really _ good, but I’ve still barely scratched the surface of what my clan used to do.” His eyes fell again to the notes covering the table, expression contemplative. “Like I said earlier, I am figuring it out. It’s just taking longer than I want it to. Patience was never one of my strong suits,” he finished with a rueful smile.

“What’s the rush?” Kakashi’s brow furrowed in confusion. As far as he knew, there weren’t any Akatsuki members they were preparing to fight, and there didn’t seem to be any other threats.

Hiro stilled, looking over at Kakashi slowly. His gaze was wary, searching. Like he was deciding whether or not to tell him. Kakashi simply met his eyes steadily, regardless of the rising curiosity and slight trepidation he was trying to beat back. He wasn’t sure what Hiro could be working on that he would hesitate to disclose, but he wanted the redhead to know that he could be trusted.

After a long moment, Hiro exhaled slowly and nodded. “The seals I’m working on are Danzo’s and Orochimaru’s,” he said bluntly, glaring down at the drawings littering the tabletop. “Specifically, Orochimaru’s curse seal and the seal Danzo uses to control the ROOT agents.”

Kakashi blinked. That was… not what he was expecting. “You know about those?”

Hiro laughed, his genuine laugh that could light up a room, and Kakashi was just glad that he could make the other man smile. “Kakashi, what did I tell you about questioning me every time I tell you what I know?” He shook his head in amusement, raising fond eyes to Kakashi’s face. “Yeah, I know about them both. Tenzo wasn’t the only ROOT operative I knew, and I know that there’s someone in the village with Orochimaru’s seal.”

“But isn’t Orochimaru dead?” Kakashi asked curiously. “Would the seal still be in effect?”

Hiro shrugged. “To be perfectly honest, I’m not sure. But I don’t want to take the chance and just leave it alone. He’s resurrected himself through one of those things before. I’m not keen on him doing it again.” 

Resurrected himself? If Hiro wasn’t a literal time traveler, Kakashi would have said such a thing was impossible. But he supposed he couldn’t really call anything impossible now. And if anyone would figure out how to bring themselves back to life using someone else’s body, it would be Orochimaru. “Understandable,” he said simply. “So you’re trying to find a way to counteract both seals.”

“Exactly. If I can get rid of both, countless people could benefit.” Hiro’s eyes practically burned. “Seals should never be used to take another person’s free will from them,” he spat.

Kakashi was startled by his sudden vehemence, but couldn’t fault him for it. He remembered the few images Hiro had shown them that first night, of shinobi forced to fight friends reanimated by Madara’s forces. How many of his friends did he have to fight, after watching most of them die? He imagined fighting his father. Rin.

Obito.

His throat tightened. “No, they shouldn’t,” he managed quietly. He swallowed, took a deep breath, and when he felt like he could speak steadily again he said, “You’ll fry your brain if you keep staring at them like this, though. Come back to it tomorrow or something.”

Hiro raised his eyebrows. “You’re telling me not to work too hard? Really?”

Kakashi shrugged and stood, patting Hiro’s shoulder as he passed him. “Only when I want you to cook instead.”

Hiro snorted. “An ulterior motive. I should have known,” he said good-naturedly. He shot a hair tie after Kakashi, but he caught it on one finger and started spinning it around lazily. “You’re lucky that I like you, Kakashi.”

_ Oh, I know, Hiro _ , he thought as he left the room.  _ I know. _

Shikaku was quickly climbing Hiro’s list of favorite people. Granted, at least a third of that was that he could hide in the family’s woods whenever he wanted, since he had a standing invitation. And he was currently taking full advantage of it. He was laying in a small grove of trees, relishing the stillness, broken only by wind rustling the leaves, and the occasional deer that stumbled upon his hideaway.

Well, and the foxes.

As if on cue, a fluffy tail smacked into Hiro’s face, prompting a squeak and a small, “Sorry, Hiro!”

Hiro simply smiled and sat up, looking around at his usual summons. “Ah, why do I put up with you pesky creatures?”  
Two paws landed on Hiro’s shoulder blades, and a black snout appeared in the corner of his eye as the newcomer retorted, “Because we put up with you!”

Hiro laughed, twisting his torso to catch the offending fox against his chest. “Who am I to argue with that logic?” he asked, looking down at the squirming black fox. “You sound like Kurama when you talk like that, Kenji.”

Kenji stopped trying to escape long enough to shoot Hiro a toothy grin. “And I, of course, will take that as a compliment.”

“Of course,” Hiro murmured with a smile, finally releasing the black fox. He immediately dashed back to the others, crashing straight into Akito and bringing them both to the ground. Hiro coughed to hide his laughter. Out of all the foxes he could have pushed over, he had to go with the biggest. Naturally.

Akito didn’t look like the scariest of his summons, with his beautiful blue-gray fur and deep blue eyes, but he was the strongest of Hiro’s summons. The biggest, too--he was roughly the size of a small horse. With six tails and a fiercely protective nature, Akito was easily the most dangerous of the group. One of his greatest weapons was, in fact, his beauty. He was constantly underestimated, opponents thinking he was too pretty to be a threat. Akito took full advantage of that misconception.

Akito snapped at Kenji, who sprung out of his brother’s range in the blink of an eye. Kenji had only three tails, and he was much smaller than Akito, but his tracking skills were unparalleled. He had never failed Hiro when he needed him.

Sora watched her brothers’ antics fondly, white fur gleaming. Her four tails waved lazily behind her as she watched to make sure none of her siblings killed each other. Besides clearly being the most responsible of the group, Sora was the sealer. Hiro had been delighted to discover that the foxes were well-versed in Fuuinjutsu, and as such Sora had quickly taken to him.

Meanwhile, Asahi and Fumiko were tumbling all over Hanako, who was playfully swatting at them. Asahi and Fumiko were the youngest and smallest of the group, with three and two tails respectively. Asahi’s sunset orange fur flashed as he dodged a blow from Hanako, only to be shoved off balance with a yelp by a laughing Fumiko. It seemed that the game had devolved into Asahi against the girls. While Asahi wasn’t built for combat the way Akito was, Asahi was a master of stealth. He could follow just about anyone or anything and remain unnoticed.

Fumiko, light gray with a silvery sheen, was speed itself. No one would take her up on her frequent requests for a sibling race--they all knew the outcome already, they didn’t want to rehash it again. Sometimes Kenji indulged her, but Hiro suspected that was just because he needed to burn off energy and no one else would play with him.

After a while, Hanako pushed herself upright, easily dislodging the smaller foxes. She was second in strength and size only to Akito, but she was more skilled at defensive maneuvers than her brother. With her size, along with her five tails and blood-red fur, she was definitely the most intimidating sibling. To opponents, anyway. While Hanako was ferocious and ruthless in battle, on any other day she was gentle and playful, her sense of humor allowing her to distract her younger siblings when they started to annoy Akito--which was often. She was instrumental in keeping Akito sane so he didn’t explode on one of his younger, more energetic siblings.

Akito and Hanako were an incredibly powerful team, having fought alongside one another for so long it was instinct at this point, rather like the team Hiro and Sasuke had once been. Misdirection, evasion, and well-timed strikes made them nearly unstoppable.

Suddenly, a blur of black fur shot behind Hiro, pushing under his arm to hide. And, just as expected, Akito was just a few steps behind the younger fox. Hiro sighed, lifting his arm to look at the fox hiding beneath. “Kenji, if you don’t want Akito to kill you, then you shouldn’t jump all over him. He’s only going to take so much from you.”

“And I passed that limit five minutes ago,” Akito grumbled, settling down next to Hiro with distinctly ruffled fur.

Hiro smiled, leaning to rest against Akito’s side. “That might be a new record,” he mused with a quiet chuckle. “Usually you start chasing him after a minute or two.”

Akito just huffed in annoyance and leaned against Hiro a little more firmly. A moment later, Fumiko ran over to curl up in his lap, and it was as if that was some kind of signal, because a few moments later he was surrounded by all six of his summons. Sora rested her head on his knee while Asahi draped himself over her back. Kenji nosed his way back under Hiro’s arm, purring softly when Hiro gave in and put his arm around him. And Hanako was sprawled out next to Akito, eyes closed as she soaked in the sunlight.

Contentment rushed over Hiro like a wave pulling him under, and he gently pulled his braid out from under Fumiko’s body and threw it over his shoulder, out of the way. He loved his village, he loved his precious people, but he appreciated having quiet moments alone in a way that he never had as a teenager.

Every person in his life had asked something of him, had wanted something from him. Asked for his protection, for him to use his power, for him to get stronger and be better, to save them. In the beginning he was just happy to be wanted, to be  _ needed _ , but the novelty had worn off after a while. Eventually, carrying the burdens of the entire village started to crush him. Even the toads, with their prophecies and ties to Jiraiya, had started to feel stifling, suffocating.

The only thing the foxes asked was balance in their relationship. Reciprocity. That he takes care of them as they take care of him. It had been a breath of fresh air, the change he needed to start accepting that he was never returning to his own time. The Allied Shinobi Forces had put it upon him to save them, and he had failed.

But his summons? They had, without a doubt, saved him. And he could never thank them enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kakashi: the kids don't need me  
> Hiro: how many times do I have to remind you that I am one of those kids
> 
> Hiro finally snapped, guys. Like, in the nicest way possible, because this is still Sunshine Boy that we're talking about, but he's gonna do everything he can to make sure Team 7 isn't fucked up this time. A lot of that is going to rely on the kids themselves deciding to change, but Kakashi can certainly help smooth the process. This poor guy is so traumatized he just doesn't know how to react to emotional ties anymore, so he needs a shove in the right direction. But we all know Kakashi and what a good heart he has, so Team 7 is definitely in safe hands.
> 
> I hope you all have a good weekend! See you next time :):)


	8. Uzumaki Hiromitsu, professional delivery boy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hadn't realized that it's been a while since we've seen our favorite senbon boy, but don't worry--he's back. I also finished writing chapter 15, the actual bane of my existence, but only after an entire SCENE I hadn't planned decided to throw itself in there. The writing gods said "Oh, this chapter is giving you problems? Let's make it longer."
> 
> Please enjoy this installment of 'Hiro just wants to go to sleep'

Hiro was starting to regret telling Sarutobi how many storage seals were on his arm, and he was  _ definitely _ starting to regret telling him that not all of them were in use. When Hiro had joined Konoha, he had been singularly focused on Akatsuki and taking them down. He hadn’t stopped much to think about the other missions he would be taking as a shinobi of Konoha.

He had not, however, expected to become a glorified delivery boy.

To be fair to Sarutobi, it was highly possible that Hiro was more annoyed than usual because he hadn’t slept for two days. And ‘delivery boy’ wasn’t strictly accurate. As much as Hiro tended to grumble, the messages he fielded between Konoha and the daimyo and other nations were usually highly classified. That was the only reason they would send a jounin on a courier mission in the first place.

He blinked his stinging eyes as he ran through the trees, trying to fend off his exhaustion until he could get back to Konoha, at least. He wouldn’t be as tired if he hadn’t been ambushed by a trio of foreign nin on the way to the daimyo’s palace. Now, Hiro could easily take on three shinobi, but one had had some kind of healing bloodline strong enough to rival Hiro’s Bijuu-enhanced healing abilities, so that one had taken a while longer to dispatch. It was a good thing they had sent him for this, considering. Many other jounin might have been overwhelmed by the enemy shinobi, had they been alone.

So it had been a good decision to send him, yeah. He was just fucking  _ tired _ . He had been given back-to-back missions for the past two weeks, and it was finally starting to wear on him. Thankfully, he was nearly back to the village. Hopefully they would give him a night to get some sleep before they sent him out again.

It was a testament to his exhaustion that he didn’t notice the presence heading towards him until it was nearly upon him. Hiro tensed for a split second before Genma burst through the trees to keep pace with the redhead. “You headed home too?” he asked with a grin, rolling the senbon around in his mouth as they ran.

Hiro nodded, relief softening his frame. “Courier mission to the daimyo,” he explained. “That should be the last for at least a little while. You?”

“Recon,” Genma said airily. “Some Kumo nin have been spotted closer to the border than the Hokage would like, so he sent me to take a look, assess the situation.”

“And?” Hiro asked, a wry smile on his lips. “Should I be ready for an invasion? I’d appreciate it if they would at least wait for me to get some sleep first. It would be very considerate of them.”

Genma laughed, the bright sound and carefree attitude lightening Hiro’s mood in turn. “I’ll be sure to tell them to wait until tomorrow,” he joked. “Everything was fine. Nothing to worry about.”

“Well, nice of them to give you an easy mission,” Hiro responded, trying to keep a straight face. “Are you sure they didn’t just want you to run to the border and back? It could be some kind of fitness test. Maybe they’re just worried about you.” He turned overly serious eyes to Genma.

Genma laughed again, eyes bright as he met Hiro’s mock-serious gaze. He looked Hiro up and down before raising an eyebrow. “Look in the mirror, Hiro. I’m not the one who looks like hell warmed over.”

Hiro snorted. “Wow, don’t hold back, Genma,” he said with a laugh. “Tell me how you really feel.”

“Oh, don’t be so sensitive,” the brown-haired jounin said cajolingly, though his grin still had a distinctly teasing edge. “You should tell whoever taught you to do your hair to give you a better skincare routine. The shadows under your eyes are so dark they’re making  _ me _ tired.”

He couldn’t resist rolling his eyes. “Tell that to the mission office. Then maybe they’ll let me stick around for longer than six hours at a time.” He caught Genma’s look of disbelief and smiled wearily. “I’m not exaggerating. I don’t know how they found out that I have more stamina than most other shinobi, but they’re definitely taking full advantage of it.”

Genma hummed thoughtfully, rolling the senbon in his mouth. “No wonder I haven’t seen you in ages. Well, Raidou’s making dinner tonight. We eat together a lot so neither of us has to cook as much. You should come; you probably haven’t had anything but field rations in days.”

“Thank you for offering Raidou’s food, but I don’t want to make more work for him--” Hiro started, but Genma cut him off with a wave of his hand.

“Hiro. Pal. Buddy. My dear friend. Adding one more person isn’t going to break him,” the other jounin said dryly, waving off Hiro’s concerns. “He’ll probably be ecstatic, actually, since you’ve been gone for a few weeks.” When he saw Hiro open his mouth to continue arguing, Genma gave the redhead an unimpressed look. “Hiro, just accept the fucking food.”

A startled laugh broke free, and Hiro shot an amused glance over at Genma. The knot of anxiety in his chest was easing. Apparently it was still difficult for him to believe that people truly wanted to spend time with him. “You’ve lectured me thoroughly,” he said cheerfully. “How could I possibly refuse now?”

A satisfied grin spread across Genma’s face. “I knew I could wear you down,” he said triumphantly. “And just in time, too.”

They could see the gates now, and dropped to the ground to continue running. “Yeah, yeah,” Hiro said dismissively. “You’re very impressive, shut the fuck up.” The man had the gall to start laughing at him again, speeding up so he could pull ahead of Hiro. With a huff of amusement, Hiro sprinted after him, content to listen to the bright laughter wash over him.

Hiro felt worlds better a few days later, and his friends were largely responsible for that. So far he had spent each night back with Genma and Raidou, because apparently Raidou thought Hiro couldn’t feed himself properly and took it upon himself to remedy that. And sure, Raidou might have been  _ right _ , but that didn’t mean Hiro wanted others to know that. Genma came for the free food and to laugh at Hiro’s mild exasperation.

On Friday Asuma had dragged the whole group out for drinks again, and everyone was shocked to see Kakashi walk in with Gai  _ willingly _ . Apparently the man was learning how to have friends again. Hiro had hidden his satisfied grin behind his drink, and when he met Genma’s eyes he saw matching amusement dancing in his friend’s eyes.

Genma and Hiro sitting out while the rest of the crew engaged in a drinking contest became something of a tradition. They would still sit with the group, talking and laughing, but wanted the freedom to get some air when their friends became a bit too much. Hiro suspected that Genma refrained largely to keep Hiro company, but he certainly didn’t mind.

Hiro hadn’t been paying much attention to the heavier drinkers--Gai, Anko, Asuma, and Kurenai--since their competitive spirits had emerged full force and they were blind to all but their opponents. His eyes snapped to Kakashi, however, when he heard the silver-haired jounin say, “Maa, Raidou, think of the midgets! It won’t do for their sensei to show up for their mission completely hungover. Our client has the drinking covered. It’ll be the cute little genins’ first mission outside the village, I figured I should at least pretend to be responsible for a day or two.”

Hiro’s breath caught in his chest. Drunk client, first mission outside the village… was it already time for their mission to the Land of Waves?

“What, already?” Raidou sounded startled, but nothing could mask the happiness he felt for his friend. “Where are you going?”

“Land of Waves,” Kakashi responded airily, and all the air left Hiro’s lungs in a single moment. Genma caught his reaction and frowned, concern in his eyes, but Hiro couldn’t bring himself to reassure his friend.

His team was going to meet Zabuza and Haku this week.

Zabuza and Haku were going to die this week.

Sasuke would awaken his Sharingan, but nearly lose his life.

And with dread coalescing in the pit of his stomach, he realized he didn’t know how this mission would go at all. Kakashi had been keeping Hiro updated with Team 7’s progress--Hiro thought it was a way for him to keep himself accountable, which had greatly impressed the redhead--and they had improved exponentially since that first disastrous day of training. Naruto would chatter excitedly about how he and Sakura were starting to get along, and even if Sasuke wasn’t being  _ nice _ , exactly, he wasn’t putting them down anymore either.

Sometimes, when he was in the village, Kakashi would even ask Hiro to help with some training so he could see the progress for himself. The first time he had shown up, Sakura had squealed in excitement and sprinted up to him, grabbing his hand and dragging him to the training ground so she could show him the Earth Style jutsu she had been learning from Kakashi. Her defensive Earth Walls were stronger than ever, and now the jutsu she was learning made stone spears erupt from the ground beneath the opponent. After she had demonstrated using an amenable Naruto as a target, she had turned back to Hiro with shining eyes and a hopeful smile. Hiro had just grinned at her brightly, nodding at her when Naruto shouted about how cool she had been.

Sasuke had been working on taijutsu, since many of the Lightning Style techniques Kakashi could show him were close-range attacks. Hiro and Kakashi had spent one very entertaining morning watching a three-way free-for-all taijutsu brawl between the three genin. All three were ruthless, much to the jounins’ delight.

Sakura had also continued helping Naruto with his chakra control. Sasuke joined them for the exercises sometimes as well. Naruto had nearly cried with happiness one night over dinner (Ichiraku’s, obviously) when he told Hiro how much better his control had gotten.

So Hiro had no idea how this mission was going to go. They weren’t three genin and a jounin this time around. This time they were actually a team. This was the first time he felt trepidation at the thought. And it wasn’t like he could just accuse Tazuna of lying before they left Konoha. Sure, Hiruzen would believe him for obvious reasons, but he wouldn’t be able to explain it to the kids, the mission office, or Tazuna himself.

Hiro took a deep breath to steady himself. He wouldn’t accomplish anything by worrying. He just had to trust that they could keep themselves safe. He realized suddenly that he had missed part of the conversation due to the buzzing in his ears. He started to listen again just in time to hear Kakashi say, “He’s a bridge builder who wants protection from bandits and the like on his way home. Seems like something my cute little genin can handle.”

It’s probably a good thing that Hiro didn’t live with Kakashi anymore, now that he thinks about it. Any slight breakdowns he has in relation to the changing timeline could now be handled from the comfort of his own, very solitary apartment.

Under the table, a few fingertips tapped Hiro’s knee, and he jumped, turning wide eyes on Genma. The brown-haired jounin had the grace to look abashed, but concern was the only emotion in his voice when he said, too quiet for anyone else to hear, “Are you okay?”

Hiro didn’t quite smile, but he could feel some of the tension seep out of his frame. He nodded, then leaned over to knock his shoulder against the other man’s. “Thanks,” he said softly. “I’ll be okay. I just remember some missions better than others, and this is one of them. Got caught in my head a bit, but I’m good, really.” Genma didn’t look convinced, but nodded anyway, topping off both of their drinks.

“Hey, Hiro, if you’re done flirting with senbon boy we’re trying to talk to you,” Anko called from the other end of the booth, sly grin stretching over her features. Both men startled, exchanging a bewildered and slightly panicked glance before turning to look at Anko in unison. Hiro tried to ignore the way his face was definitely reddening. Anko just cackled, nudging Kurenai with an elbow. “Told you that would get their attention,” she said, voice smug.

“What is it, Anko?” Hiro asked indulgently, unable to help a small smile. He rubbed one of his eyes before blinking hard. Guess that meant it was time to leave soon. His friends laughed at him for consistently leaving the bars so ‘early,’ but Hiro got the last laugh when they were tired and hungover the next day. Besides, he was still tired from his weeks of nonstop missions. And he and Kurama both valued sleep very highly, just one of the many similarities they shared. He was nicer than Kurama when they were tired, though.

“We were asking if you were ever going to try to take on a team of your own brats,” Anko responded cheerfully. “You spend a lot of time hanging around Kakashi’s kids.”

Hiro raised an eyebrow. “Anko, one of Kakashi’s kids is my cousin. A cousin I didn’t know existed until I came to Konoha. I kind of want to spend time with the kid.”

“Oh, don’t pretend you aren’t just as invested in the other two hellions.” Anko waved a hand dismissively. “You practically light up whenever you get to teach something, and it definitely isn’t exclusive to the Uzumaki kid. Or even Kakashi’s team. Inoichi’s brat comes to T&I sometimes, you know.” Her eyes danced with mischief. “She’s told me about how much time you spend in their family’s greenhouse with her and her father. From the way she talks about you, I’d say she’s in love with you. Better watch out, Hiro.” She shot the redhead a wink as Asuma groaned, putting his head in his hands.

“Are  _ you _ the one that Ino and Shikamaru keep fighting over?” he asked despairingly, slumping back in his seat. Kurenai patted his back absently, but she was clearly fighting laughter. Anko, Raidou, and Gai weren’t even trying to contain it, all three bursting out laughing, the ruckus so loud they were starting to attract the attention of other patrons.

Hiro, for his part, nearly choked on his drink. “Fighting over?” he asked faintly. Sure, he had spent more time at the Naras’ home since that first shogi game, and sometimes Shikamaru watched their matches or talked (complained) to Hiro about his training. But he hadn’t thought that the kid had paid that much attention to the redhead.

“It’s some kind of competition about who knows more about you, or who spends more time with you, or something like that. They argue practically every day, and Choji has no idea what to do,” Asuma said helplessly.

Hiro couldn’t help laughing at that, bringing all his friends’ eyes to him. He waved at them to give him a minute, and he worked to compose himself. “Well, if it’s about who spends more time with me then Ino definitely wins,” he said at last, amused. “Like she said, I do work with her family in their greenhouse sometimes. But if it’s about who  _ knows _ more about me… ” His eyes wandered around the room as he thought, then a bright smile spread across his face. “You know, Asuma,” he said mischievously, “you could always make it part of their training.”

The other man’s brow furrowed, confusion twisting his features. “Training?” he repeated.

“Training,” Hiro agreed. “You could have them practice stealth by following me around or something. I’d always be able to tell that they were there, so it wouldn’t be a problem for me or dangerous for them.” His smile widened as Asuma’s eyes sparked with interest. “That way you can make it a team thing, too. They’ll need to work together if they plan on hiding from me for a single second.”

Well, regardless of teamwork and skill, no fresh genin would ever be able to hide from Hiro. But he had to act like they had  _ some _ kind of chance.

“Hiro, I fucking love you,” Asuma said emphatically, staring at him from across the table.

“I’m flattered, and you’re very good-looking, but I’m afraid you’re not my type.” He was speaking before he could register the words coming out of his mouth. Once he did, it took everything he had not to react to his own statement, and he went on smoothly. Well, he hoped it was smooth.  _ Damn it, Hiro, now is not the time to come out to your friends. We have enough to deal with right now.  _ “More importantly, I don’t want to get on Kurenai’s bad side.” He winked at her, and she just laughed and shook her head.

“Probably smart,” Asuma allowed. “But you mean it, Hiro?”

Hiro shrugged and nodded. “Of course. I mean, I won’t always be in the village, since I’ll have missions to complete, but when I’m in Konoha you can send them after me whenever you want. It’s not like I need to  _ do _ anything. They’re just following me and trying not to get caught. You can watch their progress, and I’d be happy to talk about my end of it after you’ve dismissed them as well.”

“See?” Anko cried in delight. “You just love kids, admit it! I can definitely see you as a jounin-sensei.” This time her statement got nods and agreements from just about everyone at the table.

Hiro rolled his eyes. Sure, he liked kids, but a lot of it was that he was particularly attached to  _ these _ kids. “I’ve only been in Konoha a few months, Anko, damn. Maybe I’ll think about teaching some kids when I’ve been here for a few years or something, but that is not happening anytime soon.”

Besides, he would never even  _ consider _ a genin team until after Akatsuki had been dealt with in its entirety.

Before Anko could respond, Kurenai cut in. “Well, I guess I know who to come to if I ever need help with training,” she said dryly, smiling at Hiro over her drink.

Hiro just leaned back in his seat with a smile. Offering to help Asuma had been entirely driven by impulse, but he felt satisfaction rather than any inkling of regret.

This was going to be fun.

The next morning, Hiro made sure he was at the front gate when Team 7 and Tazuna arrived. He was chatting with Izumo and Kotetsu, leaning against their desk, when they walked over--or, in Naruto’s case, bounced over.

“Hiro-nii!” The blond threw himself at the redhead, wrapping his arms around Hiro. “What are you doing here?”

Before he could answer, he was being pulled over to Kakashi and Tazuna by three insistent genin. Kakashi raised an eyebrow at him, but didn’t say anything. Tazuna, however, immediately barked, “Are they sending you with us too?” He eyed Hiro critically, but his eyes were filled with poorly concealed hope.

Hiro smiled softly, not at Tazuna, but at the genin surrounding him. “No, I’m Naruto’s cousin,” he explained mildly. “Kakashi told me about their mission last night, and I thought I’d come see them off.” That earned him another hug from Naruto, this time joined by Sakura. Sasuke just looked at Hiro calmly, but the redhead could see the faintest traces of a smile on his lips.

“Now, Sakura,” he said, voice overly serious, and the pink-haired girl pushed back to look up at him with a laugh. “You take care of all these boys. Men are hopeless on their own. They need you more than they’ll ever admit to you.” She beamed up at him, nodding enthusiastically.

“Sasuke,” he said quietly, turning to the dark-haired boy. “You’re going to do great. Don’t worry; your teammates know they can rely on you.” The kid couldn’t hold back a smile at that, small as it was.

He looked down at the blond standing quietly beside him, watching his teammates with his signature grin. “Naruto,” he said, quiet enough that no one else would overhear. “You’ve worked so hard, just like Sakura and Sasuke have, and it shows. I’m proud of you, kid.” He didn’t think it was possible for Naruto’s smile to get any wider, but the boy proved him wrong.

“I also wanted to ask you something before you left,” he continued. “My apartment is kind of empty with just me living there. I’ve been trying to figure out how to liven it up.” Naruto’s eyes were widening in disbelief. “Now, I don’t want to pressure you,” he assured the blond, “but do you want to come live with me when you get back? If you don’t want to, that’s okay, I won’t mind. I will absolutely still love you and spend time with you just as I have been. But I’d love to have you, if you’d like to come.”

Naruto stared at him for a moment, unmoving. “Do you mean it?” he whispered.

Hiro gave him a warm smile. “Yeah, I do.”

Next thing he knew, Naruto had jumped into Hiro’s arms, and this time the redhead returned the hug. He didn’t comment when he felt tears against his neck. “Yeah, I want to,” Naruto finally managed, voice cracking. “I really, really want to.”

Hiro grinned, pulling Naruto back so he could look the blond in the eyes. “We’ve both been alone long enough,” he said gently, wiping away the tears on Naruto’s cheeks. “Now we have each other, yeah?” That got a slightly broken laugh from the blond. “Now, you should probably get back to your team before your client snaps and throws me across the village by my hair. I’ve taken up enough of your time.”

He ruffled the kid’s hair as he straightened, giving Kakashi a casual salute as the blond trotted back to his teammates and a very impatient Tazuna. The silver-haired jounin returned the gesture with one of his eye smiles. Before the man turned away, Hiro quickly made the ANBU signs for  _ keep them safe _ . Kakashi met Hiro’s eyes and nodded decisively, and with that he turned to round up his genin and get them all moving.

“You’re such a mother hen, Hiro,” Kotetsu teased when the redhead turned back to the pair. “You’d think you’re sending them off to battle or something.”

Well, he sort of was, but he just laughed it off. “It’s their first mission outside the village,” he said nonchalantly. “That can be nerve-wracking. This is the first time they’ve really been responsible for someone’s safety. Can’t hurt to give them a little pep talk before they head out.”

Izumo snickered. “If you say so.”

Hiro just gave a long-suffering sigh. “Why are all of my friends so mean to me?” At the matching laughs that followed, he said, “No respect, not from a single one of them--” He broke off, snapping his head to the open gate and the woods beyond, eyes narrowed.

“What is it?” Kotetsu asked, all business now.

Hiro couldn’t speak right away. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to be right or not. Never mind that he already knew he was. “Someone’s coming,” he said shortly, only able to manage those two words. At the pair’s bewildered looks, Hiro sighed and pointed at himself. “Sensor, boys. If I’m right, then it’s--”

He never finished his sentence, because at that moment a veritable whirlwind of white hair and exuberance bounded up to the desk. “Morning, boys! Mind telling Sarutobi-sensei I’m here to see him?” the man asked with a grin. He didn’t look at Hiro, but that was a good thing. He was still trying to catch his breath. Sometimes he hated being right.

Jiraiya had come to Konoha.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought a LOT about whether or not I wanted to change anything about the Land of Waves mission, because I adore Zabuza and Haku, but ultimately decided against it. There wasn't a salient reason why the mission should have--or would have--changed. Also, Hiro's about to get very busy. Thanks again for reading, you all mean the world to me <3 I'll see you next time!


	9. God is a masochist

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, all of you were so excited to see Jiraiya in the comments last chapter, I feel a little bad. Jiraiya actually doesn't have a large role in this fic at all. We see him a few times, but he doesn't get all that involved in the story. Sorry guys! :(
> 
> But hey, Hiro goes on a field trip this chapter, so I hope y'all enjoy that!

Hiro had left Izumo and Kotetsu’s desk just after the pair agreed to have someone bring him to the Hokage. He immediately made his way over to T&I. It was becoming something of a habit for Hiro, confiding in Inoichi. Shikaku, too, but something about Inoichi just invited vulnerability. Besides, no one would come looking for him at T&I of all places, so it was his secondary hiding place when he decided not to go to the Nara woods.

When he walked past the front desk and reached Inoichi’s office it was empty, but Hiro didn’t mind. Time alone could clear his head almost as well as talking with a friend. He sat down in Inoichi’s chair with a sigh, leaning his head back and closing his eyes. Jiraiya coming to talk to the Hokage in person meant he had high-profile information. It was likely about an Akatsuki member, which meant Hiro would be out of the village by the end of the night.

He actually didn’t know if Sarutobi was planning to tell Jiraiya the truth about him or not. While he wouldn’t be upset with Hiruzen if he did, Hiro had to admit that he appreciated the anonymity he’s had since his arrival.

It was also possible he just wanted to avoid the inevitably emotional reunion that would come with the truth. Yeah, that sounded right.

“I’m starting to regret giving you free reign over this place.” An amused voice came from the doorway, and Hiro opened his eyes to see Inoichi with his arms crossed over his chest. “Are you hiding again, Hiro?”

Hiro laughed, stretching out on the small sofa in the room so Inoichi could have his desk back. “Yes and no,” he said. “I’d say I’m waiting more than anything else.” At the blond’s raised brow Hiro sighed. “Jiraiya just showed up and asked Izumo and Kotetsu to get him to the Hokage. It’s likely that the information he’s bringing Sarutobi is about one of the people I’m looking for, so I’m just waiting for them to decide they need me there.”

“You never struck me as the type to wait until you were summoned before you showed up somewhere.” Inoichi dropped into his chair and gave Hiro a wry smile.

“Yeah, and that’s why I agreed that I’m sort of hiding.” He gave Inoichi a wide grin, playing with the ends of his braid mindlessly. “First of all, some of the stuff they’ll talk about will probably have no relevance to me, so it would be boring as hell to sit through. But more importantly, I’ve already maxed out on my emotional quota for the morning. I don’t want to risk an emotional reunion until I have to.”

“Why would it be emotional?”

“It might not be,” Hiro admitted. “It depends on if Sarutobi fills Jiraiya in on my past or not. I’ve gotten pretty good at interacting with old friends who don’t know who I am in this timeline, and you and the rest have known since my first night here, but adding another person to that circle would reopen a lot of old wounds. Not my idea of a good time.” He yawned, stretching his neck to ease the tension there.

“Hm, that’s understandable,” Inoichi said thoughtfully. “It also might not be best to go into a dangerous mission directly after an emotional storm like that.” He gave Hiro a fond smile. “You’re tired, kid, and I have work to do. Just get some sleep, and when the Hokage asks for you I’ll send you up.”

Hiro huffed in amusement and agreed, relaxing his body on the comfortable couch, but it seemed like only seconds later that Inoichi was calling his name. He blinked hard to clear his bleary eyes and sat up, catching sight of the messenger hawk on the man’s desk. “My invitation to the party?” he asked dryly.

Inoichi tossed over a small scroll, which Hiro caught on reflex, not entirely awake yet. “You got it,” the blond said with a smile.

Hiro groaned and stood, eyes scanning the message quickly. It was short, to the point, just telling him to come to the tower immediately. Exactly what he had expected it to be. “Well, time to go fuck with the old man,” he said cheerfully, shooting a mischievous grin over his shoulder as he walked to the door.

“Just try not to cause any permanent damage,” was all he got in response.

It took seconds for Hiro to get to the tower, having put a Hiraishin seal in the Hokage’s office on his first night in Konoha. Hands in his pockets, he appeared in the office, causing two of the three occupants to jump. Shikaku merely gave Hiro a small smile and nod. Smile widening into something a lot more genuine, he stepped up next to the Nara, looking him over. “I didn’t realize you’d be here,” Hiro said, pleased. “I mean, you are the chief strategist of Konoha, so it makes sense, I just didn’t think about it.”

“I didn’t think it wise to leave you alone with these two,” Shikaku said dryly, giving Hiro a look.

Hiro brought a hand to his chest as if offended. “Shikaku, you wound me,” he responded. “I don’t know what you could possibly be implying about my impeccable behavior.”

Shikaku snorted at ‘impeccable behavior,’ but Hiruzen chose that moment to cut in. “Socialize later, Hiro. You’re here for business.”

Brushing a few strands of his hair out of his face, Hiro adopted a neutral expression and turned to the other occupants of the room for the first time. Sarutobi was watching him, exasperated, and Jiraiya just looked curious. The curiosity was impersonal, though, and Hiro breathed an internal sigh of relief. Sarutobi didn’t tell Jiraiya. Hesitating, he glanced at Shikaku out of the corner of his eye. Shikaku was probably the reason his anonymity was preserved, actually. The man caught his glance and smirked. Naturally the man could tell what he was thinking. Naras were so frustrating.

Seeing Jiraiya again was still a blow, but the redhead remained surprisingly composed. In a way, it hurt less to see Jiraiya than it did most of his other loved ones. Jiraiya didn’t die in the war. He didn’t die as a direct result of Hiro’s many failures. It was one death, at least, that wasn’t on his conscience, no matter how much it had devastated him at the time.

“Apologies, Hokage-sama,” Hiro said with a casual smile, turning his eyes back to Sarutobi. “Am I here for the reason I think?”

Hiruzen nodded, expression grave. “Akatsuki. We have reliable information on the location of one of the members, and you’ll be leading a small team to take him out.”

Him. Okay, so it wasn’t Konan. Not that he had thought it would be. She never left Nagato’s side if she could help it. “Oh?” he prompted when the Hokage didn’t continue.

Jiraiya was the one to pick up the conversation and get it moving again. “What do you know of the member named Hidan?”

Shikamaru’s pained eyes flashed through his mind as Hiro was reminded of the aftermath of Asuma’s death. “He’s strong,” he said immediately, “but you know that. All of them are, it’s why they’re so annoying to deal with. The problem with Hidan is that you can’t let yourself get cut, not even once. If you do it’s all but over. After he ingests some of your blood, any wounds he gives himself will be mirrored on you. But  _ he’s _ weirdly close to being immortal, so the wounds that kill his victims won’t even come close to taking him down.” His eyes narrowed. “Was Sasori with him?” With Kakuzu dead, Sasori would likely be assigned as a temporary partner for him. Putting Hidan with Deidara would  _ not _ be a good idea.

“No, he appeared to be alone.”

Hiro breathed a small sigh of relief. “Good,” he said emphatically. Poison, an army of puppets,  _ and _ deadly blood rituals?  _ No, thank you. I like my limbs. I’d like to keep them. _ “Those two would be fucking impossible to handle together. If it’s just Hidan, that’s doable.”

“How many people will you need?” Shikaku asked.

“Depends on who they are” was Hiro’s immediate reply. He turned to Hiruzen. “Can I pick the team?”

The man nodded. “You’re the one who knows these opponents best, it would be reasonable for you to decide who your team consists of.”

Hiro paused for a moment, thinking. Who would be the best to help him take out the Jashin worshipper? Genma had left on a mission just this morning, or Hiro would choose him immediately. Senbon would have been very useful here. But that wasn’t going to work, so… new plan. The way to beat Hidan would be to cut him up into pieces, since he can’t put himself back together, and seal him away. If he needed Hidan in pieces…

“Yugao and Hayate,” he said firmly. The pair was ANBU, both were kenjutsu masters, and they worked well together due to their personal relationship. Having a seamless sword-wielding duo to complete his team was as close to ideal as he was going to get. “Are they both in the village?”

Sarutobi nodded, signaling for an ANBU and telling them to find Hiro’s chosen teammates. And honestly, ANBU’s commitment to the secrecy of their members was kind of funny sometimes. Sure, it was entirely necessary, it just didn’t work well on Hiro, considering he could identify most of the ANBU by reading their chakra signatures. The ANBU Hiruzen had sent to find the two shinobi was Yugao herself.

Yugao returned soon enough with Hayate in tow, although neither was wearing their mask anymore. “You have a mission for us, Hokage-sama?” Hayate asked mildly. His eyes flickered to Jiraiya, then to Hiro and Shikaku, curiosity flashing in his eyes before he forced his gaze back to Sarutobi.

“One of the Akatsuki members was spotted on the border between here and the Hidden Rain. I just received word today, so even if he has moved on, he won’t have gotten far.” Jiraiya’s eyes were dark and assessing as he examined the team before him.

“Hiro is something of an Akatsuki expert,” Hiruzen continued. “Therefore we have given him jurisdiction over any missions relating to the organization. He has chosen the two of you as his backup for the current mission.”

“Yes, Hokage-sama,” the two murmured in unison.

“I’m sure Hiro will tell you everything you need to know on the way there,” Shikaku drawled, “but the short version is he uses blood rituals to kill his victims and is extremely difficult to kill. Hiro,” he said as he turned back to the redhead, “I’d imagine you’d like to get started as soon as possible.”

Hiro nodded, turning to Yugao and Hayate. “Can you be ready in an hour?” When both replied in the affirmative, he cracked a small smile. “Great. Meet me at the main gates and we’ll be on our way.” His smile widened, even as his eyes and spirit darkened. “Time to go hunting.”

True to their word, Hayate and Yugao were at the main gates precisely an hour later, and before the day had ended Hiro had them up to speed on Hidan. “We’ll stay here for the night, and continue at first light,” Hiro said as the three settled in a small clearing. “I’ll take first watch; you can decide between yourselves what your order will be.”

He popped a soldier pill in his mouth, then started setting up privacy seals around the perimeter while Yugao and Hayate finished settling in. He had just finished the last seal when Yugao asked, “Hiro, did Hokage-sama say that you’ve fought Akatsuki members before?”

Hiro turned to face the two. Hayate was starting a fire, and Yugao crouched next to him with her eyes on Hiro. He nodded. “All the kills that got me in the Bingo Book were Akatsuki members. It’s sort of my...self-imposed mission to bring the organization down.”

“Why is that, though?” Hayate sounded mildly curious, eyes kind as he glanced up at the redhead. “Why is this such a personal assignment for you?”

Hiro chewed on that for a minute, trying to decide how much to reveal. “The group is after the nine Bijuu,” he said slowly. “They want to extract them from their Jinchuuriki, which will kill them. They say they want peace, but in reality the power they would wield would be world-ending.” He hummed thoughtfully. “They aren’t doing this selflessly, no one is that selfless. Take Hidan for example; he’ll capture and kill anyone the leader asks him to, because he relishes the pain. Most of the other members are the same, all after one thing or another--immortality, power, license to kill, they all have their reasons.”

“But that doesn’t explain why you’re so personally invested.” Hayate’s eyebrows drew together slightly, looking at Hiro like he was trying to figure him out.

_ Good luck, buddy. I haven’t even managed to figure  _ myself _ out yet. _

Hiro sighed, shoulders slumping slightly. “Did you know that Uzushio was renowned for its sealing prowess?” Both nodded, gazing at Hiro intently. “I suppose I feel a certain level of responsibility to protect the people who have Tailed Beasts sealed inside them. They didn’t ask to be Jinchuuriki, and the Bijuu certainly didn’t ask to be sealed in the first place.” He shook his head wearily. “This isn’t what sealing is supposed to be. It’s supposed to be… beautiful.”

Yugao’s eyes glowed in the soft firelight as she tilted her head slightly, considering his explanation. “So since you can’t separate the Bijuu and the Jinchuuriki, keeping them safe is the next best thing?” she asked thoughtfully.

Hiro smiled, looking at the ground as he nodded. “Sealing is the legacy the Uzumaki clan left behind. I want that legacy to stay as pure as possible.” He chuckled, twisting his fingers together. “Although I will admit I got even more invested upon learning my little cousin is the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi.”

These two were ANBU, so they were far too disciplined to react visibly, but Hiro could see the shock--and wariness, in Hayate’s case--reflected in their eyes. He shrugged. “If Sarutobi wanted to keep it hidden from me, he shouldn’t have let Naruto’s mistreatment continue like it has. Between the kid’s huge and frankly unstable chakra reserves, his ostracization by the villagers, and the fucking  _ whiskers _ , it’s not that hard to piece it all together.”

Yugao snorted, breaking the tension, and Hayate relaxed, throwing a small smile in her direction. “Fair enough,” she conceded. “And with how much you know about the Bijuu, of course you would know which one is in the Leaf.”

Hiro sighed, but shot a warm look in her direction all the same. All the Bijuu had rumbled in approval at her wording, as it didn’t imply that Kurama  _ belonged _ to Konoha. He was just sealed there. “Well, of course. But I also remember hearing about Kushina.” His tone darkened. “That’s why I thought I was the last Uzumaki, you know. Kushina died when her seal was broken twelve years ago, and I didn’t realize she had a son.”

Yugao smiled softly. “So you were protecting your family the entire time you hunted Akatsuki members, even if you didn’t know it.”

Well, that was a nice thought. “Yeah,” he agreed. “I guess I was.”

The next morning came both too quickly and too slowly. Hiro knew most of that was nerves; he felt more nervous about this battle than he had about any of the other Akatsuki members he had taken down. _ That’s because you lack basic self-preservation instincts _ , Kurama grumbled, resting his chin on his crossed forelegs.  _ You’re worried about the two you brought with you. _

Hiro… couldn’t argue with that. If he was facing Hidan alone, he likely  _ wouldn’t _ have felt nervous. But then again, that’s because he probably wouldn’t have felt anything at all, and he didn’t think that was necessarily better.  _ I wouldn’t say I have  _ no _ self-preservation instincts, _ he argued halfheartedly, but all nine Bijuu were disagreeing before he could even finish the sentence. He sighed with a fond, albeit tired smile.  _ I need nicer friends,  _ he joked, which prompted a mixture of offended squawking and displeased growls. He just laughed silently, watching the sky as the sun started to rise.

He had intentionally had them set up camp close enough to Rain’s border that they could jump straight into looking for Hidan that morning. He glanced behind him, where Yugao and Hayate were watching their surroundings vigilantly. “Either of you trackers, by any chance?” he asked.

“I’m a sensor, but I haven’t specialized in tracking,” Yugao admitted, while Hayate just shook his head with a cough.

Hiro nodded. “Right. Okay. I’ll take care of it, then.” He hadn’t really wanted to get the foxes mixed up with Konoha shinobi yet, but this would be much easier if they had a tracker guiding them. With a bite to his thumb and a palm to the ground, a black fox appeared in a puff of smoke. Yugao and Hayate blinked in surprise and tensed, but didn’t immediately go for their weapons, which Hiro supposed was better than he had expected.

“Hey, Hiro!” the fox chirped, bouncing lightly on his toes. “What’s up?”

Hiro laughed softly and knelt in front of his energetic friend, closing his eyes as a warm head nuzzled the side of his face. “Kenji, don’t you ever get tired?” He laughed again at Kenji’s look of disbelief, but sobered quickly. There wasn’t time to beat around the bush. “I need your help tracking an Akatsuki member.”

The glint of laughter fell from Kenji’s eyes immediately, and he gave a terse nod. “Right,” he said firmly, backing up a few paces. “Which one is it?” Only Sora and Asahi managed to consistently remember all the members’ names and abilities. Hiro couldn’t blame them; there were a lot of people to keep track of, especially when the foxes weren’t personally familiar with them like Hiro was.

“Hidan,” Hiro responded, and at Kenji’s confused look clarified, “the blood one.”

“Ah, the vampire. Well, at least he’ll be easy to find. Do you want me to stay when you reach him?”

Hiro frowned, considering. “No,” he decided after a moment. “I don’t know if his rituals work on summons, but I don’t want to take that chance. If needed I’ll make time to summon Akito or Hanako.” He also wanted to keep the foxes as secret as possible. The fewer Akatsuki members knew about them, the better.

Kenji nodded. “Got it.” He narrowed his eyes, ears perking up as he worked on finding Hidan. Hiro took the opportunity to close his own eyes and enter Sage mode. It was never a bad idea to give himself every possible advantage in an Akatsuki fight. He only opened his eyes when he heard Kenji start to move. The fox shot through the trees, the three shinobi taking off after him. Fumiko might be the fastest of his summons, but Kenji’s speed was nothing to scoff at, either.

Hiro dropped back slightly to run in between Hayate and Yugao. “Remember the plan,” he said under his breath. “I’ll keep his attention on me as much as possible. Cut him to pieces--literal pieces--whenever you get the chance. He won’t stop as long as he has any way to move.” The others nodded sharply, but both did a double take when they saw his face. Well, that was fair. Hiro hadn’t told them he could use senjutsu.

When he had a contract with the toads, he had orange coloring around his eyes. Now that he was contracted with the foxes, it had changed. The coloring surrounding his eyes was now a dark purple, in the shape of a triangle with rounded corners that stretched down his cheekbones. His eyes were amber, with no white at all, and the slitted pupil that he had already become accustomed to, thanks to Kurama. And then there was the ten-pointed star on the center of his forehead. Ten points--for the nine Bijuu and the tenth from which they were created.

Yeah, Hiro could see why it was probably a bit startling to see without warning.

In reality, though, the abilities he gained through Sage mode hadn’t changed much when he switched contracts. He was simply connected to a different group of summons, a different community. Now, if he were to add Bijuu chakra to Sage mode, that would be a different story. Sage mode had been amplified immensely with just Kurama, and now Hiro had all nine sealed within him. But he refused to use Bijuu chakra in these fights. He couldn’t let Obito or Zetsu know that he had any personal connections to any of the Bijuu. He couldn’t risk his friends that way--not to mention the really weird time-travel questions it would bring up. So, for now, Sage mode was all he was willing to use.

Hiro was abruptly pulled from his thoughts as Kenji started to slow in front of them. The group silently halted in a secluded cluster of trees, and Kenji used his snout to point straight ahead. Hiro took a deep, calming breath and unsealed his tanto blades, giving Kenji the signal to disappear. And as the fox disappeared, the three shinobi burst through the trees, kunai and shuriken already flying at a man in a familiar black cloak.

Hidan stood above the bodies of two young men--civilians, by the look of them--with his eyes closed in ecstasy. He was covered in blood and shuddering in delight. However, his eyes snapped open when Hiro’s team leapt out at him. “I thought I heard someone else coming to play!” Hidan exclaimed, smile widening. “Praise Jashin, it looks like I’ll have three more sacrifices today.”

He avoided the sharp blades of wind Hiro shot at him, as well as the slice of his tanto blades a moment later. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Hiro hissed, solidifying a wall of air in front of him as Hidan tried to swing his scythe at the redhead. “Sorry, Hidan, but you won’t be the victor this time. You’re next on my list, and I don’t give up.”

Hiro stayed at a distance for a few moments as Yugao and Hayate took up a deadly dance with Hidan, scythe colliding with swords almost too quickly for Hiro to follow. And Hiro was right to have brought these two; the trust they placed in one another was stronger than almost any bond he had ever seen. Hayate’s blade missed Yugao’s throat by less than an inch, but she didn’t flinch, which allowed him to land his hit on Hidan’s upper arm. It wasn’t nearly enough to take off the limb, not yet, but it was deep. Hayate gave a close-lipped smile of satisfaction as he launched backward to get back out of Hidan’s immediate range.

The opening gave Hiro the room he needed to slide in, hoping to knock the man’s legs out from under him. But he used his scythe to push himself into the air, leaving Hiro to roll away to avoid getting trapped by the man as he landed.

Hiro spun to his feet, glaring at Hidan. The man stood in the middle of the three shinobi, Yugao and Hayate completing Hiro’s circle around the Akatsuki member. Hidan, though, was grinning at Hiro, eyes wide with glee. “I know you!” He spun his scythe around continuously to keep anyone from moving closer for the moment. “You’re that Uzumaki that’s been hunting us down.”

Hiro smirked, coating his tanto blades in wind chakra. “Guilty as charged.” He leapt forward at the same time as Hidan, blades clashing between them in a shower of sparks and chakra. “I’m going to take your organization apart piece by piece,” he said through gritted teeth. They were pushing against one another with all their strength, and the chakra surrounding them both was too volatile for Hayate or Yugao to jump in without risking serious injury. For the moment, it was just Hidan and Hiro.

Hidan let out a slightly maniacal laugh. “Take us apart?” he jeered, finally pushing hard enough to push Hiro back a single step, which gave him the opening he needed to swing his scythe once again. Hiro got one of his blades up in time to block the blow, but he had stopped it far later than he was comfortable with. “I think you have this backwards, little Uzumaki,” the man continued. “You may have gotten lucky up to this point, but we are the ones who will be taking you apart, not the other way around.” He threw his scythe at Hiro and jumped back, spreading his arms as Hiro dodged the other man’s weapon. “For it is Jashin’s will!”

Hiro twisted to avoid the scythe when Hidan pulled it back like a boomerang--Shikamaru had told him about the wound that killed Asuma, so Hiro knew he could never be too careful in this fight. But the space gave him the time he needed to contain his chakra enough for his teammates to once again join the fight. Yugao and Hayate were on Hidan in an instant, blades blurring around him, and Hiro pulled a paper from one of the storage seals on his arms. The paralytic seal would instantly rob him of all motion, which would leave him entirely vulnerable to their attacks.

The problem was, this seal activated upon contact with the victim--and anything touching the target, even the slightest brush of a finger, would be paralyzed as well. It would decrease the potency of the seal’s power, too, so Hidan would have no trouble getting out, and Hiro would be down a teammate as well. He had to time this perfectly.

A sharp gasp, followed by a crash, had his head snapping up to stare at the scene before him. Yugao had been thrown into a tree so hard the trunk had cracked, and Hidan had Hayate by the throat. “I guess we’ll start with you, then!” Hidan said cheerfully, eyes glinting with fanaticism.

Well, there went Hiro’s plan. It was like watching in slow motion, seeing Hidan raise his scythe to make one of them bleed for the first time. Hayate was barely conscious, but still struggling as much as he was able. His weak struggling, however, would do nothing against the blade headed for his arm.

Hiro didn’t pause to think before his body was moving. The scene before him was so different from that last battle with Shikamaru and Sasuke, but it felt exactly the same. The same desperation to get there before irreversible damage was done.

He only knew he succeeded when fire ripped through his arm, tearing through enough muscle to see the bone. Through the pain he could see Hayate staring at him in shock from where Hiro had shoved him to the ground.

The same shock was present on Hidan’s face, but it quickly melted into a manic grin. “I see how it is, Uzumaki,” he said almost slyly, his smile widening. “You want to be the first to meet Jashin. I can’t say I blame you.” He used the scythe, still partially stuck in Hiro’s arm, to throw the jounin across the clearing. Hiro rolled to a stop, picking himself back up almost instantly and sending a flurry of kunai at the man, but he dodged them with ease, laughing gleefully to himself as he moved his foot, focusing on the ground.

Hiro was sprinting towards Hidan, and he could see his recovered teammates doing the same, but before any of them could reach him, Hidan’s skin turned black, and he turned his grin on Hiro.

_ Fuck _ .

“Are you ready to be sacrificed to Jashin?” Hidan asked. “Should I give you a quick death, or a slow one?” Noticing that Hiro’s arm had already healed almost halfway, he huffed a laugh. “You heal fast, huh? That’ll just make this more fun. Slow death it is. Your pain will be exquisite, Uzumaki.”

Hiro changed his course to cut off Yugao and Hayate, eyes hard as he stared them down. “This changes nothing about our mission,” he said firmly, “except that we need to get him out of that symbol on the ground. His ritual will only work on me when he’s standing in that circle. Do anything necessary to get him out.” When Yugao opened her mouth, presumably to argue, he lifted an impatient hand to cut her off. “We don’t have time to discuss this, Yugao. It is  _ extremely _ difficult to kill me, so don’t worry about hurting me. I can handle it. Now let’s  _ go _ .”

Without another glance at them, he threw himself at the black-cloaked man, ignoring the pain as Hidan stabbed himself in the shoulder. Blood poured down Hiro’s arm, but he simply swung his other arm, which was holding one of his blades. Now that he had begun the ritual, Hidan was much less concerned about whether he got hit or not, so Hiro’s tanto blade dug a shallow wound in his side, and consequently Hiro’s as well.

Hiro saw a miniscule flash of silver before Hidan jerked back a step, wire digging into his abdomen. Hidan’s arms were still free, but Hayate had still managed to get the wire around him. He was pulling it as tightly as he could, and purple hair whipped past Hiro as Yugao slid into Hidan’s circle, aiming to kick his legs out from under him.

Hidan, however, had found the leverage necessary to cut himself free, and Yugao had to dart away before the scythe could rip into her. With a smile on the border between euphoria and insanity, he turned his scythe back on himself, this time twisting the weapon to slice open his back. 

For a moment Hiro’s knees buckled, the pain compounding as Hidan immediately grabbed the kunai Hayate had thrown at him and used it to stab himself in the thigh. The wounds were coming more quickly than he had anticipated, but with a snarl he threw himself at Hidan once again. With the amount of blood he was losing, he needed to finish this soon.

Hidan swung his scythe at Hiro’s abdomen, eyes glinting, and Hiro saw his opening. Hidan clearly expected him to dodge, to avoid sustaining any more major injuries. He was planning to use Hiro’s momentum against him, likely finding a way to immobilize the redhead completely.

Well, Hiro hadn’t once been known as the most unpredictable ninja in Konoha for no reason. He gritted his teeth and slammed straight into the man’s scythe so he could force Hidan to take several steps back. Hidan’s eyes widened in shock, losing his smile for the first time as Hiro wrapped his entire body around Hidan’s and rolled them both out of the circle, scythe trapped between them.

Thankfully, his teammates didn’t hesitate for a second. In a flash, Yugao and Hayate appeared, chakra-reinforced blades slicing straight through his legs and disconnecting them from his torso. Hiro used all his concentration to push the Akatsuki member away from him so the other two had a clear target.

Seconds later, Yugao and Hayate had cut through his arms. And without missing a beat, ignoring Hidan’s screams of outrage--for even now, he wouldn’t scream out of pain, he was likely still relishing that part of the situation--Hayate grabbed a handful of Hidan’s hair, jerked his head away from the ground, and cut the man’s head clean off.

Unfortunately, that didn’t stop Hidan’s furious cries--Hiro had no idea how he could survive decapitation, but it certainly cemented his status as ‘immortal.’ Well, mostly. Hiro was pretty sure Hidan could starve to death. The question was how long that would take.

Hiro hissed as he pushed himself up on his elbow, digging around in his pocket and retrieving a storage scroll, which he tossed to Hayate. “Take the head,” he rasped. “He can’t do anything if it isn’t attached to his body.”

Hayate nodded grimly, grabbing Hidan’s head by the hair once more. In the last moments before he was sealed and silence descended upon them, Hiro could swear he heard Hidan threatening to  _ bite _ them to death.

_ Hey, Kurama, _ he asked internally, keeping his breaths deep and even.  _ Will it be better for your healing if I keep the scythe in or take it out? _

Kurama’s considering hum shook through Hiro’s entire body, the fox’s presence soothing regardless of the circumstances.  _ Take it out, but be careful afterwards. Don’t run until we give you the okay. _

“Hiro!” The voice jolted him from his conversation with the fox, and he looked up into Yugao’s worried brown eyes. “Hiro, are you all right?”

Hiro grimaced and sat up, ignoring the protests he received for the action. “I’m good,” he assured her, fingertips grazing over the blades still stuck in his body. At her skeptical look he gave her a tiny smile. “Really, Yugao, I’ll be fine. I heal really fast.” And before either could protest further, he gripped the handle of the scythe and pulled it straight from his body.

He shot a grin at their horrified faces. “See? I’m fine! But if one of you could help me wrap this up, that would be very helpful.”

The two shinobi simply stared at him for a few seconds before the entire group burst out laughing. Hayate shook his head, chuckling, and raised an eyebrow at Hiro. “Forget Akatsuki, I think you’re gonna be the death of us all, Uzumaki Hiro.”

And really, all Hiro could do was ruefully agree.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See ya, Hidan.
> 
> Shout out to hlchick9 for asking me how Sage mode changed when Hiro switched to a fox contract. I had definitely forgotten that Hiro uses Sage mode in the fight this chapter. It took me way longer to think through than it should have, but I got there in the end! So thank you, friend <3
> 
> As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts, and thanks again for reading! See you soon :):)


	10. Hiro realizes people care about him???

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I meant to put this up sometime over the weekend, but that was before I spent 13 hours on a stats project over the course of three days. I think I fried my brain. Let's hope I don't need to do that again anytime soon.
> 
> But on a happier note, I'm actually pretty proud of this chapter, so I hope you all enjoy it! :)

“I’m telling you, this isn’t necessary.”

“You almost died, you dumbass,” Yugao snapped, taking a seat next to Hiro’s hospital bed. “You got stabbed voluntarily,  _ multiple times _ I might add, then just pulled the scythe out like it was a splinter. I don’t think you get a say in this, since you clearly have no sense of self-preservation.”

Hiro’s head tipped back to hit the pillow, reclining so he could see both Yugao and Hayate, who was trying to hide his laughter and failing spectacularly. “Oh, shut up, Hayate,” he said good-naturedly, giving Yugao a fondly exasperated look. “Trust me, Yugao, this isn’t almost dying. Not for me. I will admit that it was pretty bad--” Internally, he could hear Kurama laughing caustically at his assessment. “--but this really isn’t what I look like when I’m almost dead.”

Yugao stared at him for a moment, then burst into laughter, leaning back and propping her feet on the side of his bed. “Forgive me if that doesn’t exactly give me any comfort,” she said dryly. “From now on can we please try to keep the voluntary wounds to a minimum?”

Hiro gave her a teasing grin. “If it makes you feel better,” he replied cheekily. “And okay, okay, I’ll stay here for the night. I do still think it’s overkill though. I mean, you were here when the doctors were changing my bandages, guys. The wounds were nearly closed by the time we got back here. By now there’s probably only a bit of damage left. Hayate, back me up here.”

Hayate raised an eyebrow, folding his arms over his chest. “No, I don’t think I will.” He broke into a coughing fit, but he was still smiling when he said, “It’s a lot more fun watching Yugao lay into you.”

“Oh, as if you aren’t just as bad!” Yugao turned on Hayate now, but her eyes were still sparkling with laughter. “Is it just a man thing? Kurenai isn’t nearly as reckless as you idiots on her missions. Even  _ Anko _ isn’t! I’m starting to think it’s just a man thing.”

Hiro just shrugged, biting his lips to hold in his smile. “Both methods get the job done and get us home, so I’m not really seeing the problem.” This time Hayate couldn’t help laughing with Hiro.

Yugao sighed heavily and picked up one of Hiro’s storage scrolls, throwing it lightly at his face. Hiro let it bounce off his cheek without complaint, letting it fall in his open hands and putting it back on the bedside table. “I’m surrounded by idiots,” she muttered.

Joking aside, Hiro knew how lucky they all were to be back in one piece. It’s true that his wounds weren’t enough to put his life in particularly immediate danger, but after one or two more hits with that scythe they might have been. And Hayate and Yugao, while incredible ANBU shinobi, didn’t have the healing abilities Hiro had. They were a lot more breakable than a Jinchuuriki.

It had taken them a little longer to get back considering they were adjusting for what they thought Hiro’s pace should be (even though he could move just fine, no matter what his teammates thought), and Sarutobi had received their report with blatant relief. He looked like he couldn’t believe all three of them were in one piece.

But they were all okay. And now the scroll holding Hidan’s head was sealed so intricately that only the Hokage and Hiro himself could get to it. Hiro wasn’t particularly interested in checking in with the man to see how long it took him to starve. He was perfectly content just considering the man to be already dead. Plus, burning the rest of his body had been extremely cathartic for all of them, after the battle they had. That had certainly given Hiro the only closure he needed.

Hidan was dead, and Hiro was one step closer to protecting the Jinchuuriki, one step closer to preventing a world-ending war.

There was a knock on Hiro’s doorframe, and all three shinobi snapped their heads over to see Raidou sheepishly raise a hand. “And here I thought this  _ was _ giving you warning that I was here,” he laughed. “You’re all so jumpy, damn.”

Hiro flipped him off with a grin. “Oh, don’t even start,” he said, rolling his eyes. “Like you aren’t jumpy after coming back from some missions.”

“Oh, he is.” Genma appeared at Raidou’s shoulder, leaning against the opposite side of the doorframe. His wicked smirk was highlighted by the customary senbon he held between his teeth. “In fact, there was this one mission to Kumo--”

Raidou snatched his friend’s senbon and clapped a hand over his mouth before Hiro could even register the movement. “And that’s enough out of him!” he said loudly, eyes widening as the room’s occupants slowly started to grin.

“Oh?” Yugao asked, eyes glinting mischievously. “But that sounded like such an interesting story! I, for one, would love to hear it.”

Genma pried Raidou’s fingers away from his mouth and took his senbon back, biting it once more. “As much as I’d love to embarrass Raidou, we actually came back here to remind you two about the end of visiting hours.”

Hayate frowned. “Uh, why did they send  _ you _ for that? Why not one of the nurses?”

Raidou sighed. “We just got home from our own mission and wanted to come see Hiro. The nurses said we could come back to see him if we only stayed for a minute and we took you with us when we left.” He gave Hiro a look that was probably supposed to be annoyed but just looked amused instead. “Being your friend is so inconvenient.”

“My apologies,” Hiro said dryly. “I’ll be sure to pencil you into my calendar next time I’m stuck in the hospital. I’ll send a welcoming committee. I’m only staying the night, though, then I’ll be home.”

“Perfect, so you can come help me eat more of Raidou’s food.” Genma didn’t give his friend any time to protest, but Raidou didn’t look put out at all. In fact, he brightened slightly. “Come to Raidou’s apartment for dinner with us tomorrow night, yeah?”

“Oh no, free food, I have no idea what I’m going to do. Fine, you pests, I’ll be there,” Hiro agreed with a laugh. “Now get out of here before the nurses kill you for violating visiting hours.”

Hayate and Yugao gave Hiro their smiles and farewells and left fairly quickly, but when Hiro looked back at the door only Raidou was gone. Genma was still watching him from the doorway, face concerned as he looked the redhead over. “You aren’t hiding anything to keep us from worrying, are you?” he asked softly.

Hiro sighed. He wanted to be exasperated, but he couldn’t be annoyed in the face of such honest concern. “I’m fine, Genma,” he assured the other man with a small smile. “I promise.”

The brunet looked him over once more, but he must have been satisfied with Hiro’s answer, because his eyes softened and he nodded, tossing one last smile over his shoulder as he shunshined away.

Hiro could only stare at the empty doorway for a few moments, unmoving. His smile may have been small, but he could tell it wasn’t going anywhere. “Huh. I didn’t have many close friends until the war, so I never really got to see normal village life. Is this what having friends is supposed to be like?” he murmured to himself.

_ Kurama, stop laughing at me! _

“So you’re telling me that not only is this guy great at his job, he’s also amazing at baking?” Hiro’s smile was growing, as was Ino’s, as they watched Inoichi from where they were sitting at the table. “Ino, that’s just not  _ fair _ . He needs to leave some talents for the rest of us!”

“Tell me about it.” Ino propped her elbow on the table and rested her chin in her hand. She pretended to lower her voice. “I’m not sure there’s anything my dad can’t do.”

“If you can’t think of anything, then I certainly can’t,” Hiro whisper-shouted back.

Inoichi just rolled his eyes, leaning against the counter so he was facing Ino and Hiro. “Didn’t I say something about getting friends that weren’t a twelve-year-old girl, Hiro?” Hiro and Ino both burst into laughter. “I’m pretty sure I remember saying something to that effect.”

Hiro grinned, hooking his arm over the back of his chair. He wasn’t sure exactly when he got so comfortable in the Yamanaka home, but somewhere between helping with the greenhouse and coming around to see Inoichi and Ino, Hiro felt just as at home here as he did in his apartment. “Are you saying you’re not my friend?” he asked slyly.

Inoichi raised an eyebrow. “Not when you’re enabling my daughter, you’re not.” His voice was good-natured though, and he turned back to the counter so he could take the cookies off the tray that had just come out of the oven.

“Dad!” Ino protested, blue eyes big and innocent. “But that’s the best part!”

Inoichi gave a long suffering sigh and gestured to his daughter in a ‘see?’ motion, and Hiro chuckled. “I’m getting out of your hair soon enough, Inoichi. I’m heading to Raidou’s apartment soon to have dinner with him and Genma. I do have  _ some _ friends my age.” He looked back down at the table, where he had his half-finished counter seal for Orochimaru’s curse mark. He had originally come here to have a quiet place to work on his seals while still having some company. That worked fine until Ino got home from training.

He was  _ so close _ to clearing the final hurdles for each seal, which only made him more impatient to finish them. But impatience meant sloppier work, and sloppy work meant mistakes. And Hiro couldn’t afford any mistakes. Not with these.

“Those are pretty,” Ino commented, leaning over Hiro’s arm to take a look at his notes. “What do they do?”

“Nothing, yet,” he complained, subtly sidestepping the question. “They’re still a work in progress, and it’s taking forever. But speaking of works in progress, how’s your team dynamic coming along?” He grinned as Ino gave a dramatic groan and draped herself over her chair. By the time Ino had finished ranting, the sun was starting to disappear.

“I know that boys are literally the worst,” Hiro said patiently, “but it does sound like they’re getting a little better, at least!” Ino huffed, annoyed, but couldn’t hold her scowl when Hiro ran a hand over her hair. “I’ve got to go, though. I promised to meet Genma and Raidou, and if I don’t show up on time they may literally hunt me down.”

Hiro smiled softly to himself as he wandered down the alleyways that led to their apartment building, hands casually sitting in his pockets. A quiet day with the Yamanakas had been just what he needed. He had been more wound up by Hidan than he thought. Physically he was perfectly fine, he hadn’t lied to any of his friends about that, but he hadn’t realized how much the fight had put him on edge. Until he almost took Kakashi’s head off with one of his tanto blades, anyway. But thankfully the jounin had great reflexes and (less thankfully) was well acquainted with stress and trauma, so he dodged the blow without dropping his smile or his book.

He was just glad it hadn’t been one of the chuunin or, worse, one of the genin.

So, yeah, maybe he was a little more stressed after the fight than he had originally thought.

He slowed, frowning.  _ Okay, I know I’ve been jumpy today, but those ROOT agents feel closer than usual. _ Danzo’s agents usually kept their distance as much as they could while still following Hiro relentlessly, but now they seemed to be getting closer.

When more chakra signatures were added to the mix, one after another until Hiro was practically surrounded, the redhead groaned, stopping in the middle of the alleyway. It was like Danzo knew just when to find Hiro to piss him off the most. “What can I do for you tonight, Danzo-san?” he asked the shadows blandly.

Slowly, figures bled out of the darkness until several parted to reveal Danzo standing behind them. The bandaged man looked so smug he was almost smirking. Hiro immediately wanted to punch the expression right off his face.

“You never disappoint, Hiro-kun,” he said smoothly, folding his hands in front of him. “I had wondered if you would sense me coming this time.”

“What, like I’ve been sensing the shinobi you’ve had tailing me since the last time you cornered me in an alley?” Snark probably shouldn’t have been what Hiro defaulted to in this situation, but the man just had to catch him at the worst times. “Of course I noticed you, Danzo. I never lower my guard, especially if I know I’m being followed,” he finished wearily.

Once again, Danzo’s frozen, perfect smile didn’t falter. “I just wanted to check in and see how you were settling into Konoha,” he said. His tone was probably meant to be kind, but just came off as condescending. Hiro wasn’t sure Danzo knew how to sound kind.

“Oh,” Hiro said lightly, shifting to pull his braid forward and over his shoulder. “Well, I appreciate the courtesy. I’ve been settling in just fine. I’m going on missions, having drinks with my friends, you know, the usual.” He shrugged, keeping his eyes locked on Danzo’s. He got a distinct sense of deja vu when he said, “Speaking of which, some friends are expecting me for dinner, so if that’s all…”

“I don’t want to keep you from your plans, certainly,” the older man responded. “I just wanted to see if you had considered my offer any further.”

A small smile graced Hiro’s lips. “Oh, is that all?” He shifted his weight casually, making sure no signs of discomfort or frustration bled through his mask. “I’ve thought about it, yes, but I will still have to decline. I’m not interested in working for you.”

Although Danzo didn’t look angry--not yet--he did look disappointed. “I had hoped you might reconsider.” Hiro didn’t notice any outward signs or signals, but as one the ROOT agents moved slightly closer, tightening the circle they had made around Hiro. Hiro had to wonder if Danzo knew he could perform the Flying Raijin. If he did, he would know that having Hiro surrounded was entirely meaningless, since he could just transport himself away in an instant. So either he didn’t know, or he was just using the agents for intimidation.

Intimidation. Yeah, right.

Hiro sighed. “Look, Danzo, I don’t know what you want me to say here. You asked me if I wanted to work for you. I said no. I’ve thought about it since you last offered me this position, and I’m still saying no. My answer isn’t going to change. I don’t know what you’re expecting to happen here.”

At last anger flickered across his face for an instant before he smothered it behind his usual implacable mask. But when he spoke, Danzo sounded as calm as ever. “Are you sure there’s nothing that can change your mind?”

Hiro simply raised an eyebrow.  _ Did I fucking stutter? _ “I’m sure. I’m not going to change my decision. Now, if you’ll excuse me--”

“But you’re not just taking care of yourself anymore, are you, Hiro-kun?”

The silky voice cut through Hiro’s words, his thoughts, and left his mind reeling. After a few moments, he gathered his thoughts enough to process the man’s words, and had to stop himself from killing the whole group right then and there. He forced his breathing to remain even, his face to remain calm. “I’m not sure what you mean, Danzo,” he shot back.  _ If you’re going to threaten me, you’re going to say it outright, you fucking bastard. _

Danzo’s smile reappeared. For some reason, it seemed he saw this as proof of his victory. “I know that your cousin is moving in with you when his team returns from their mission,” he said casually. “But you’ll find that it will be rather difficult to go through with that plan if the council deems you an unfit housemate for him.”

“Genin are adults in the eyes of the law.” Was this it? This couldn’t be it. He had to be hiding something deeper. “The council has no say in where he lives, or who he lives with. I don’t see why you think you can manipulate this.”

Danzo’s smile widened. “You’ll find that, when it comes to the law, Uzumaki Naruto is a unique situation. I have far more control of the situation than you give me credit for. And the last thing I would want is to need to take the boy in myself to keep him safe from you.”

For the first time since his arrival in Konoha, and only the second time in his life, the Bijuu sealed inside him had to actively trap and drain his chakra so he didn’t lose control on the spot. Distantly, Hiro could hear Kokuo and Isobu trying to calm him down, while Kurama raged right along with him. But everything was drowned out by those words, repeating in his mind again and again. So that was his play. He was threatening to try to gain custody over Naruto. The way Danzo saw this going, he got an Uzumaki out of the deal either way. No wonder he looked so satisfied.

Even with the Bijuu, it still took everything Hiro had to hold himself back. His hands fell loosely to his sides, and when he raised his eyes Danzo flinched minutely at the rage he could no doubt see in Hiro’s eyes. Hiro’s eyes, which were projecting Kurama’s anger just as much as his own.

When Hiro spoke, his voice was quiet. “Danzo, I only have two things to say to you. First, I don’t ever let myself be blackmailed or threatened. It doesn’t matter what you threaten, who you send after me, I will never go back on my word. I will not work for you. And that is final.”

Danzo had paled slightly at the nearly gentle cadence Hiro’s voice had adopted, but his voice was still hard as steel as he asked, “And the second?”

Before anyone could react, could even blink, Hiro had pushed past Danzo, easily breaking free of the circle enclosing him. “I would advise you to leave Naruto alone. You’re right about one thing--I’m going to protect my family. And trust me, Danzo.” His voice darkened, but he didn’t look back to see Danzo’s face as he walked into the night, throwing his parting words over his shoulder. “I’m not a fight you can win.”

Hiro had hoped that the rest of his walk would be enough to cool him off, but he was still fuming when he reached the entrance to his apartment building. Kurama wasn’t much better, and the rest had given up trying to do anything beyond regulating their chakra so they didn’t blow up the street by mistake.

Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to walk to Raidou’s door and knock. It even took effort not to knock too hard.

“Hiro--” Genma’s cheerful greeting cut off as soon as he saw the redhead’s face. “Hiro?” he repeated, this time concerned, uncertain. “What happened?”

Hiro took an unsteady breath, hands shaking. He couldn’t meet his friend’s eyes. “I’ll still be down for dinner,” he forced out, “but I need some time to calm down first. Let Raidou know, would you?” He shunshined to his own apartment door before the brunet could get a word in, and had the door locked behind him in seconds.

He started pacing back and forth across his front room, but didn’t last very long before stopping and leaning his back against the far wall. He forced his jaw to relax, closing his eyes and sliding down the wall until he hit the ground. He may not be able to clear his mind, but the breathing exercises that meditation required couldn’t really make things worse at this point. He could feel his nails digging into his palms but couldn’t bring himself to care. He was just… tired. Regulating his breathing took just about all the mental energy he had left.

Slowly, the steady rhythm of his breathing calmed his thoughts. He was still furious--he could still feel the anger crawling beneath his skin--but it wasn’t quite so loud inside his mind anymore. He didn’t feel like completely decimating one of the training grounds, and he thought that was probably as good as it was going to get.

As if on cue, he heard a knock on his door. Hiro groaned, his head falling back to knock against the wall. Five minutes. Could he not have five minutes of peace? Sometimes he found it funny how much he enjoyed the quiet now, considering how loud he was as a kid.

This wasn’t one of those times.

He reluctantly dragged himself to his feet and stalked over to the door. It took an embarrassingly large amount of self-control not to throw the door open and snap at whoever it was to go away. He was glad he hadn’t, though, when he pulled the door open to reveal Genma on the other side.

The two men just watched each other quietly for a few moments, but Genma’s eyes were full of resolve and he clearly wasn’t going anywhere, so Hiro sighed and stood aside to let him in. “Making sure I didn’t skip out on you two?” He tried for a joke, but his tone was so unintentionally short that he immediately winced. “Sorry,” he muttered, brushing past Genma to lead him to his couch.

Genma’s expression hadn’t changed when he dropped onto a seat next to Hiro. “Think talking about it will help?”

Hiro scrubbed a hand over his face with a sharp exhale. “I’m not sure,” he admitted, “but I’m about three seconds away from committing murder right now, so I guess I should probably do  _ something _ .”

Now Genma frowned, and he pulled the senbon from his mouth and put it away before turning back to give Hiro his undivided attention. Whether consciously or not, he leaned a bit closer to the redhead. “Is everyone okay?” he asked seriously.

Black and red cloaks flashed through Hiro’s mind and he barked a short laugh, recognizing what his friend was likely thinking. “Actually, this time it has nothing to do with the Akatsuki.” He pressed the heel of his hand to his forehead, trying to quell the stress headache he’d had since Jiraiya got to Konoha. “Everyone’s fine, though. For now,” he finished bitterly.

Genma didn’t say anything, just watched him with clear, kind eyes, which might have been why Hiro actually decided to continue. “A few weeks after I got here, Danzo cornered me with a bunch of his ROOT operatives, offering me a position ‘working’ for him. Spouted some shit about how he could give me the power I needed to make sure my home stays safe--”

He broke off with wide eyes when Genma burst into laughter. It took the brunet several long moments to regain his composure, but finally he looked back at Hiro, still grinning in amusement. “Sorry, sorry, it’s just… if there’s one person in the world that legitimately doesn’t need more power, it’s you.”

In spite of his fury, Hiro let out a quiet laugh. A smile crossed his face and, short and small as it was, it was still genuine. “That’s exactly what I was thinking at the time,” he responded honestly. “He had chosen the worst possible argument to try to win me over. I can see why he thought it would work; power is the only currency that men like him and Orochimaru deal in. So I told him no, as you probably could have guessed, and he let it go for the night.”

Genma’s eyes darkened with trepidation. “For the night. So, tonight--”

Hiro smiled bitterly, staring sightlessly at the opposite wall. “Job Offer Round 2,” he confirmed. “This time complete with blackmail.”

“Blackmail?” Genma just sounded confused. “You’ve only been here a few months! What could he possibly use against--oh.” Hiro could  _ see _ the moment it clicked. Genma looked like he was caught between laughing and throwing something. “Naruto.”

“Got it in one.” Hiro looked down at his hands, too tired to look at his friend anymore. He noticed blood under his nails from when he had clenched his fists earlier, but his palms had already healed. “Little Me. Before his team left for their last mission I invited him to come live here with me. Danzo threatened to have me deemed an unfit guardian for him so that  _ he _ could take custody of Naruto instead.”

He squeezed his eyes shut, once again trying to suppress the anger running through his veins. “Realistically I know that Sarutobi wouldn’t let Danzo do that, because Naruto is  _ literally me _ , so deeming me ‘unfit’ or whatever doesn’t make sense at all, and also because I think the man’s a little scared of me.” Which Hiro wasn’t doing anything to change. “But that doesn’t change the fact that, in the eyes of Konoha law and the civilian council, Danzo technically could. He’s one of the leaders of the village, and I showed up here a few months ago after making a name for myself killing Akatsuki members--” He broke off, breathing ragged.

A hand rested gently on his arm, but Hiro didn’t look up. He heard a few deep breaths before his friend spoke again. “All things considered,” Genma said lightly, “I think that it’s impressive that you didn’t murder him on the spot.”

Well, that was validating, at the very least. Some mangled version of a laugh tried to escape his throat. “Yeah, but that’s just because I had--” He stopped with a sudden inhale, every muscle locking up.  _ Because I had help. I had the Bijuu. _ What the fuck had he been thinking? No one knew about the other Tailed Beasts. He had fully intended to keep that a secret from everyone, even those who knew who he was. They knew he was Kurama’s Jinchuuriki, which was enough for Hiro. More than enough, considering how they had reacted when they met the fox.

“Kurama?”

Hiro hadn’t thought it was possible to stiffen more, but everything seemed to freeze when Genma called Hiro’s friend by his true name. Slowly, he straightened his back and opened his eyes, frowning at Genma. Trying to figure him out. “What did you just say?” He couldn’t raise his voice above a whisper.

“Kurama?” This time, Genma sounded more tentative, hesitant. His hand fell from Hiro’s arm and he watched the redhead warily, eyes wide. “That’s what his name is, right? The Kyuubi? I--I thought I heard you call him Kurama on your first night here. But you said you broke the seal a long time ago, and you brought us to meet him that night, so you can probably talk to him whenever you want, right?”

Hiro was floored. He wasn’t sure how his jaw hadn’t dropped, honestly. Even the Bijuu were all completely still--that hadn’t happened once since they had all been sealed inside Hiro. Kurama had frozen from where he had been pacing and fuming next to Matatabi. All nine pairs of eyes were wide with absolute astonishment. Something like hope was sparking in Gyuuki’s eyes. Saiken’s, too.

Everyone else, though, didn’t react in the slightest. As if moving would reveal this to be some kind of trick, a dream or a mistake.

“You…” Hiro swallowed hard. “You remembered Kurama’s name? And that I opened the seal? You remembered that?”

“Was I… not supposed to?” Now Genma sounded nervous. His fingers were fidgeting slightly, he was clearly fighting his body’s instinctive reaction to grab senbon in preparation to fight a potential threat. “I’m sorry, maybe he doesn’t want me to call him that--”

The apology shattered the stillness that had descended upon Hiro, and he shot forward. Genma flinched, but Hiro just grabbed his hand, making sure his friend was meeting his gaze. His grip on Genma’s hand tightened, and might have been painful in all honesty, but Genma, surprised as he was, just gripped Hiro’s hand in return.

“Genma, no one has  _ ever _ started calling Kurama by name without question, especially after only hearing it once. No one except for me.” He wasn’t sure if he wanted to laugh or cry. He was pretty good at doing both at once, though, so maybe that was an option here. “I-- We-- You’re okay with him?”

Genma shrugged. “You called him your best friend, even though he’s the one who killed your parents. I trust your judgment. You know him, I don’t.”

Once again, Hiro was left without words. The Bijuu had practically exploded, clamoring and shouting over one another, with one notable exception. Kurama was quiet for several long moments. He finally stood, shaking himself off, and said, “Let me talk to him, brat.” And with a mental shrug, Hiro stepped back without hesitation.

Taking the backseat and watching Kurama interact with other people using his body had been weird at first, but he had quickly gotten used to it. After being practically crushed by the eight remaining Bijuu’s welcome he ended up sitting on Shukaku’s head and they all watched Kurama take the wheel.

“You’re taking this suspiciously well, Shiranui.” Genma jumped at the abrupt voice change, eyes widening. Kurama pulled his hand away and let his gaze rake over the other man consideringly. “I know you were part of Namikaze’s guard. You have more cause than most to despise me, yet you claim you don’t. Why?”

After recovering from the fox’s sudden appearance, Genma paused for a few moments, gathering his thoughts. “I’m not entirely sure, myself,” he admitted sheepishly. “But, I don’t know, I just--” he trailed off, frowning. “I’ve felt really corrupted chakra, presences that make your skin crawl, people with so much malice it’s almost tangible, you know? You just feel calm.” He shrugged a little helplessly. “You feel like Hiro. And you both feel a bit like Kushina. Between that and how close you seem to Hiro, it just seems like you two know something that I don’t about this whole Bijuu thing. It’s not that you aren’t dangerous, but so am I, in my own way. So is Kakashi. I just don’t feel like you’re dangerous to us.”

“Am I actually hearing this right now?” Son Goku asked, for once sounding more confused than annoyed. “Is this a fucking hallucination or something?” Hiro’s eyes were glued to Kurama, but distantly he heard a small  _ zap _ and an enraged shout. “Chomei, what was that for?”

“It’s not a hallucination,” Chomei declared proudly.

Whether from the sheer unexpectedness of Genma’s response or hearing Chomei badgering Son Goku, Hiro wasn’t sure, but Kurama started chuckling in a low voice. His mouth widened into the fox’s mischievous grin, and Kurama spoke to both Hiro and Genma when he said, “I like this one, Hiro. Keep him.”

Of course Kurama would choose to make his exit as dramatic as possible.

Thrown back into control of his body, Hiro blinked a few times to reorient himself, then burst into laughter. “Keep him?” he managed between laughs. “Kurama, he’s not a pet!”

_ Neither are we, but you keep us, _ he grumbled.

_ Oh, shut up, you love me, _ he threw back with a cheeky grin. He turned his sympathetic gaze on Genma, who looked a little stunned. “Uh, sorry I didn’t warn you about that,” he said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m not really used to anyone else interacting with them.”

Genma blinked, took a deep breath, and gave Hiro a small smile. “Don’t worry about it, I just didn’t realize you could switch places like that--wait, did you say them?”

_ Oh, shit. _ He was getting way too comfortable with Genma. This wasn’t the first time he had slipped up around the man. But, mulling it over quietly, was that really such a bad thing? If he accepted Kurama without hesitation, it would probably be safe to tell him about the rest, right?

_ What do you guys think? _ Hiro asked internally. His voice was completely free of judgment. He would do anything to protect the Bijuu, and if they didn’t want him to say anything then he would listen to them. Sometimes it didn’t matter how trustworthy someone was. That doesn’t change the fact that a secret is only a secret if only one person knows.

Surprisingly, it was Son Goku who spoke up first. His brows were furrowed in contemplation, but there was no hesitation in his voice when he said,  _ Tell him. _

Hiro blinked in shock.  _ Really? _ he asked, more curious than disbelieving.

Son Goku shrugged.  _ The last time I took a chance on someone who seemed this accepting was when I met you. He’s sincere, and that’s rare in a human, _ he grumbled.  _ I say tell him. _

And when all nine Bijuu agreed that Genma could be trusted, Hiro was floored. Kind of ecstatic, too. But mostly in shock.

“Hiro?” Genma’s voice broke him from his thoughts, and Hiro realized he had kept the brunet waiting for a few minutes at least.

“Sorry about that, I was talking to Kurama,” he started, and Genma relaxed.

“Okay, good, that’s what I thought was going on, but I couldn’t be sure that there wasn’t something wrong.”

Hiro smiled, shaking his head. “No, nothing’s wrong. We just like making decisions as a group.” He waited for Genma’s nod before he continued. “I said ‘them’ because Kurama isn’t the only Bijuu sealed inside me.”

Genma’s eyes widened, hands dropping limply into his lap. “I--what? How many are there?”

Hiro shrugged a little helplessly before he met Genma’s gaze head on. “All nine.”

The brunet’s mouth opened and closed a few times, but no sound escaped. He was still staring at Hiro, seemingly unable to pull his gaze away. “You have all nine Bijuu sealed inside you?” he reaffirmed, voice almost a whisper.

“That’s right. And you’re the only person in this timeline who knows.” He leveled a firm stare on his friend, who noticed the hardening of his posture and straightened his own. “We all agreed to tell you because we all trust you, but please understand that no one else can know. Not a single person--not the Hokage, Raidou,  _ anyone _ . The Bijuu have been hunted down more than once, and I never want them to go through that again.”

Slowly, Genma nodded, expression full of the same resolve that had convinced Hiro to let him in tonight in the first place. “Thank you for trusting me. All of you,” he added. “No one will find out about them through me, I’ll make sure of it.”

He matched Hiro’s slowly growing grin, before groaning good-naturedly and dropping his forehead into one of his hands. At Hiro’s puzzled look he explained, “Learning all their names is going to be a nightmare, isn’t it?”

And as Hiro burst into laughter, he knew he would never regret trusting Genma.

Team 7 had returned from their mission several days later, and thankfully none of them had been seriously injured--at least, no more than when Hiro lived through it himself. Sasuke had been his own weird mix of confident and shy when telling Hiro about awakening his Sharingan, and Sakura had talked excitedly about how Kakashi had fought Zabuza on their way to the Land of Waves.

Naruto hadn’t spoken much about the mission until later, when Hiro had taken him to dinner. Only then did he tell Hiro about Haku, about everything he had learned from him and Zabuza. Hiro had smiled, remembering his own experiences with the pair, and had simply asked Naruto if he was glad he had met them. The blond’s immediate, overwhelmingly positive response finally put Hiro at peace. It was difficult for Hiro to accept that he couldn’t change everything, that he needed to prioritize some tasks above others, but in this case he was relieved to find that he didn’t feel an ounce of regret. He hadn’t saved Zabuza and Haku, but they had both died for the person they loved, and he knew neither would ever regret that.

And he  _ definitely _ didn’t regret asking the genin to move in with him.

“All right, is that everything?” Hiro watched, amused, as a small orange hurricane blew through the door to his apartment.

A blinding smile was turned on him after Naruto put down the box he had just carried in. “Yep!” the kid responded excitedly, bouncing on the balls of his feet. His eyes kept darting around the apartment, as if trying to soak in every detail at once. “You have a really nice apartment,” he commented, grin not dampening in the slightest.

_ Not really _ , Hiro thought.  _ You’ve just lived in horrible conditions your entire life. _ But he was too relieved for the words to carry their usual bitter sting. Hiruzen hadn’t protested once when Hiro spoke with him about taking Naruto in, and Danzo hadn’t been able to do a thing. Which he had logically known all along, but a weight still came off his shoulders when that worry was resolved.

Out loud, though, he simply said, “Thanks, kiddo. Want to see your room?”

Naruto’s eyes lit up and he nodded so hard Hiro was amazed that his head didn’t fall straight off. Hiro waved him over with an indulgent smile. “Come on, then.”

To be fair, Hiro can see why Naruto would think his apartment was so nice. Naruto’s room in Hiro’s apartment dwarfed his old room. The blond stared at the bed, dresser, and desk Hiro had already set up, wonder shining in his eyes. “This is mine?” he whispered.

With a small half-smile, Hiro placed a gentle hand on Naruto’s bed and guided him inside. “All yours, Naruto.” He couldn’t help the slight tightness in his chest in the face of Naruto’s enthusiasm. This, this was all Hiro had wanted as a kid. Nothing fancy, just a home. Just someone who loved him. And he might not have gotten it for himself, but he would not let that be the case for the genin in front of him.

Hiro startled slightly when Naruto threw his arms around his middle, but laughed softly and wound his arms around the kid in return. “Thank you,” Naruto whispered, voice slightly muffled against Hiro’s shirt.

Hiro just tightened his arms around the kid, placing a soft kiss on the mess of blond hair before him. Konoha was finally starting to feel like home again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Genma's officially got the fam's stamp of approval. We love our favorite senbon boy. And I always love writing interactions between Hiro and the Bijuu. They all have such different personalities, and it's so fun to mess around with that. Anyway, I hope you all have a great week! See you next time :):)


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